All Through The Night
by rachelwinter
Summary: Mara is a Hunter who returned to the world without her Ghost. Bastien-9 is an Exo struggling with his identity. Both are haunted by pasts they cannot remember. Can these two damaged souls unravel the mystery of those pasts while defending humanity from a dark, rising threat?
1. Eyes Up, Guardian

_Revised introduction - 6/16/2016_

Hello!

This is my first fic. Reviews and constructive criticism are encouraged! I love hearing other's thoughs of my writing, and the story I'm trying to unravel. It's a bit of a mystery to myself in all honety! I'm no stranger to reading or writing, however I've never dabbled much in prose, and this is my first serious attempt. Hopefully I'll only improve as time goes on.

Due to the vagueness of the Destiny world as we currently know it, I've taken a lot of creative freedom with this story so far. I've done my best to keep things possible within the canon as it currently stands, and I am hoping it will fit nicely into the Destiny story in future games without much revisions needed.

Disclaimer: Excerpts from the Grimoire are present here and there; I am not copying those parts to claim as my own fiction.

Enjoy!

_Content warning: Graphic violence, mild language, some sexuality._

* * *

**Eyes Up, Guardian**

Her head pounded, and her vision was clouded by darkness.

Her nerves sent jolts of movement through her body as oxygen hit her lungs for the first time in centuries. A gasp filled the air, followed by a cough and a groan as she felt soreness in every muscle. She fought to peel her eyes open. Everything was a washed out blur of orange, brown, and hints of sky blue. She whimpered as she reached out to... something, anything.

_Where am I?_

"…is wrong."

She heard a voice.

"Can you hear me?"

She barely made a sound.

"…need to gather more... You're stable, but you won't…"

The voice continued on, muffled, distant. She felt some time pass. But how long? She breathed deeply and just closed her eyes.

_Rest. I just need to rest._

She moved her body slightly, positioning her limbs in the most comfortable position she could muster to make the pain go away.

_This is just a dream._

In moments, she drifted away. Not even the pain could keep her from it.

* * *

Her vision had finally returned, and she stirred awake.

The sun hung overhead, glowing brightly across a blue sky. With great effort and the subtle creak and crack of bones that have not moved in ages, she managed to lift her head, and take in her surroundings. The weather? Hot. She found herself sweating, but the wind on her body felt relieving. She looked down at herself. She was naked. Looking up, she found herself in the middle of an ancient road, littered with rusted cars. Around her, tall ruins of old skyscrapers and… industrial buildings?

_What happened?_

She furrowed her brow and shook her head, the searing headache not allowing her to think straight. She couldn't remember anything. She felt vulnerable; terrified.

With a grunt she got up on her feet, her knees buckling slightly before stabilizing as her body remembered how to walk. She brought an arm up to cover her chest as she started walking. She didn't know where to go. Her mouth was dry and she licked her lips as they parted, to speak.

"H-hello?" She says quietly, looking around, desperate for a reply. None came. "Hello?" she calls out louder this time. The only reply was the rustling of a tumbleweed rolling by several meters away.

She continued walking, eyeing down at the ground, careful where she stepped, as she made her way down the desolate street. She came to a stop at an intersection, looking at a sign arching over the road. Time had taken its toll on the lettering, a strange form of cursive.

_ _ SHION SQ _ AR _

"Shion… Sq… ar," she mouthed the words, seeming to be missing a few letters, quietly, finding a hint of joy that she seemed to at least be able to read.

She had been walking for hours, and now it was dark, save for the eerie glow of the battered moon and the stars above, made far more evident all the more beautiful from a lack of the lights of a city. Her feet were killing her. She had thought a lot in the last few hours. Her name was gone from her memory. So she picked one. Mara. She couldn't connect it to anything, and wasn't entirely sure how she came up with it, but it made sense, and sounded right. _Mara,_ she had said to herself several times, comforting her loneliness with the sound of her own voice. She stopped and looked up at the sky again. At the moon, cracked and ruined. She felt her heart shudder in her chest. Whatever happened here, must have had an effect on the moon. Or vice versa. Maybe the entire universe? Maybe-

A sound caught her attention, steering her away from her thoughts. Then she heard growls and heavy voices, and ducked into an open door of the small building beside her, peering out into the street from the safety of the darkness. Two large, four-armed creatures dropped from a window across the street, looking around cautiously, making those sounds at each other. They were talking, and held what looked like long machines in their grasp.

"What the hell…" she whispered, looking out at them.

She cried out as she felt the blow.

And a second, as her head hit the ground. She was seeing stars, and her vision blurred again. She relied on her hearing. A series of loud, whizzing cracks, followed by metallic clangs.

_The sound of… combat? Yes! That's it. Gunfire._

She fought the darkness returning to her mind, forcing herself to ignore the pain.

She struggled. Something was happening.

_Need to stay awake. Need to... Can't..._

And then, everything went black.


	2. Where There's A Will

**Where There's A Will…**

Mara was laying back on her white lawn chair, her eyes shielded by a pair of sunglasses. She wore a bright red swimsuit, and took a sip from a glass of cola through a pink straw. A slice of lemon adorned the rim, along with a little decorative umbrella. She smiled at the hint of rum and sighed happily. Her body was glistening in the sunlight, having just stepped out of the pool and applied a fresh coat of sunscreen.

These were the days she lived for, the days she could just forget about everything else and relax. She sat up further and leaned over to grab the slice of pizza on a plate, on the table just to her left. Yes, these were the days. No thinking about her shitty job, and no thinking about… Her job? What was her job?

The sun went out, and everything around her began to dissipate. There was nothing left but herself, and an infinite sea and sky of white.

Suddenly she felt very cold. Everything went hazy, and she felt a shiver creep through her, and it was dark again.

She opened her eyes. There was a fire and the smell of food. Some sort of stew, perhaps. She was comfortable, but her head hurt, and she sighed as she felt the soft sheets of a bed against her body and curled up under the thick comforter, closing her eyes again. "Weird dream," She muttered.

"If only."

She quickly sat up after hearing the voice, startled. There was a hooded man sitting by the fire, slowly stirring a metal pot. She brought a sheet up over her chest, then realized she was no longer naked and had a loose, white shirt over her form.

"Wh-who are you?"

The man chuckled and turned towards her, his face invisible to her, as he was between her and the fire. The strange thing? The glowing eyes. The man reached up to pull the hood back. "Just relax, I'm a friend."

Beneath the hood were robotic features. Its face was sleek and composed of a white, almost translucent metal and kind of looked like a sports car, complete with a couple of teal racing stripes down either side of its face. It had green, glowing eyes, and what might have passed for a mouth- or throat? -behind its metallic lips. The jaw shifted; a gesture that passed for a smile, for his kind. Though with enough study, emotions were not difficult to read on his kind's faces.

Mara pressed her back further into the wall. "What are you?"

The stranger raised his eyebrows. "Well good morning to you too, sunshine," He chuckled, stirring the pot further. "Look, I'll be upfront with you. You're not gonna remember a damn thing, and you're gonna have a load of questions. Some I can answer, some I can't. Hell, I might have some of the same ones you do. And we'll get to that; but for now, I just need you to eat up and get your strength back. Just know that you're safe, I promise you that much."

Mara sat with her back to the wall, watching the figure cautiously as he took a bowl and a ladle, scooping the food into it and setting it down on an old, wooden nightstand that seemed to have been pulled over beside the bed as a makeshift table. "Here you go." He pulled the chair over on the opposite of the nightstand, taking a seat. It smelled beyond wonderful. It was a creamy, cheesy potato soup, loaded with different herbs and spices, and bits of bacon.

The room was small, and cozy. There was only the one bed, and most of the other furniture was covered in books, weapons, strange odds and ends, and machines she didn't quite recognize. Looked like technology right out of some science fiction movie. There was a doorway that led into a hall, and beyond, a closet and another door that was shut, covered in tons of old, worn away stickers, carvings, and a sign that had been lazily nailed in that read 'dook rook' in what appeared to be blue crayon.

"Sorry about the rude awakening there. I hope you're hungry though." He smiled again. "Like I said, I'm a friend. I'm also an Exo."

Mara stared at him.

"Y'know, _mysterious_ race of robot people?" He asks. Mara replied with a curt shake of her head.

The Exo shrugged, placing a spoon on the nightstand, and a smaller plate with half of a small loaf of bread for her as well. "Ah, well. The name's Bastien-9. Or, you can just call me Bastien. Or B. Either way works. Don't ask about the number." He said leaning back. "And who might you be?" he asked, raising a ridge on his mechanical face that may pass for an eyebrow.

Mara eyed the soup, then him, then the soup again. "Mara," she said quietly, sitting up. Bastien crossed his arms and nodded slightly. "Pretty name. Go on, I'm sure you're starving. No need to stand on ceremony for me." Mara scoots forward and takes the bowl, hungrily slurping down the warm food, then proceeding to spoon at the rest, having never tasted anything this good in her life, and taking a nice chunk out of the bread as well. Bastien watched her curiously, satisfied that aside from her hunger, he may not be such a bad cook after all.

After a few minutes, when Mara's eating had slowed down a bit, Bastien leaned forward. "Do you remember anything? Do you know what you were doing out there?"

Mara snorted at the compliment as she took another bite of the bread, chewed for a moment, and took a big swig of water. And at that moment, the events of the last day or so returned to her. "I have no idea. I was hoping you could tell me. I... I just…" She stared off to nowhere in particular with a grimace. "I just woke up… yesterday? And, and…"

Bastien felt terrible for her. The lack of a Ghost was just the stale icing on the poorly baked cake. He sighed. "Alright, well. I guess I'll just fill you in on what's been going lately."

Bastien shook his head, trying to find the words. He hated having to be one to bring this news. "We were hit, about seven-hundred years ago- or perhaps more. No one is really sure anymore, really. Humanity reached a technological golden age, which we now call... Er, The Golden Age. Medicine became almost... Magic. Lifespans tripled, technology advanced at an alarming rate, and we started colonizing the other planets in our solar system. This was all thanks to the Traveler. It's a giant, sphere thing, sort of looks like a small moon. But it's no moon. It gave us advanced technological knowledge and blessed us with its Light-"

Mara squinted.

"Light, that's what gives a Guardian his- or her- power, but we'll get to that..."

After about an hour, Bastien had told her everything. At least, as much as he could. It was a lot to take in, and she had even cried for a long time, during which Bastien had comforted her and even held her in his arms. He understood what it was like to wake up one day and know nothing; to be lost, alone, and without purpose. To take in so much that had happened to his beloved earth, and to his people. Had it not been for seeing the aliens, and the moon in its current state, she would have never believed him.

Mara sighed and pulled away from the embrace, wiping a leftover tear from her cheek. "I… Don't know what to say." Bastien just nods and rubs her back gently. "Well that brings us to now, Mara." He stood up and went over to the fire, taking the pot off the metal grill that had been set over it, and putting it up over by a few other used pots and pans to wash later. "You are a Guardian, too. Like me." He says, returning to his chair. "I'm sorry to say that your Ghost didn't make it. The Fallen- those things that attacked you,"

Mara remembered them, and felt at the bump on her head, that was bandaged up. She remembered _that_ well enough. Not that she wanted to.

"They found your Ghost while it was attempting to resurrect you. Destroyed it. I saved the remains, but there's nothing really salvageable from it, unfortunately. I'm not exactly certified to work on these things. But, I made sure to kill every single Fallen that was there. More may come, though. You're lucky I was in the area when they attacked-"

"Wait, now hold on a minute. If you saw them take my Ghost, or saw it trying to resurrect me, why did you leave me out there?"

Bastien put his hands up in defense. "I checked your pulse. My Ghost did a scan. You were dead. Now I would have moved your body somewhere sheltered, or buried you somewhere, but these Fallen? they've been crawling all over this sector for several weeks now. Several dropships worth of 'em swooped in and I had no choice but to get out of there. Was in a bit of a bad shape myself at the time. I suppose you're lucky they didn't incinerate your body or something."

She shook her head. "If I was dead, after being resurrected, how am I alive now?"

Bastien blinked. "I'm as surprised as you are."

She looked down at her hands. Strange.

"And the Fallen?"

"There's been a huge spike of activity here. They're looking for something, and I? I'm here to find out what it is." He stopped himself for a moment. "Well, actually, I know what it is, sort of. Some kind of cache. Maybe weapons, or other important Golden Age artifacts." He shrugged. "The usual. Whatever it is I've gotta beat em to it and bring it back to the Tower. The cryptoarcheaologists go nuts about this sort of thing. And pay handsomely."

Mara yawned and nodded, at this point being far too tired to inquire about all the jargon she didn't quite understand.

"You'll have to stick around here while I get that done. You are a Guardian like me, but you're a new one. Sometimes takes a while for us to return to good shape after we're brought back for the first time. And having lost your Ghost while it was bringing you back for the first time, well, I'm no doctor, but it's probably a good idea to get you to the City and have someone check you out, make sure no screws are missing anywhere."

She got up on her feet and stretched. Aside from the white shirt, she was wearing gray shorts. They seemed a little big on her. Bastien had taken the only clothing he could find here to dress her in for the moment. The hideout was atop one of the skyscrapers, at the top floor. It used to be a condo, long ago. Now it was one of many hideouts hidden across the earth, locations shared by guardians only by word of mouth, where they could rest if needed while on long missions, or passing through areas. It was a large desert that this ancient city was built on. The city was surrounded by several mountains that created a valley, with a single river running near the center. Many years of climate change and who knows what else brought on by the collapse had radically changed the climate. The days here were extremely hot and humid, while the nights sometimes reached temperatures below zero. It was about one in the morning.

"That's ok," Mara groaned. "I don't think I feel well enough to go adventuring right now."

"Look, here's what we'll do. I'm zeroing in on that cache, shouldn't be more than a couple of days now until I can track its location."

Mara listened attentively.

"So, once we find it, I can call in my ship, we'll haul it outta here, and I'll bring you back to the Tower with me. While we're at it, we may want to arrange a meeting with the Speaker, I'm sure he'll be able to explain…" Bastien waved a hand around. "All of this far better than I could. And we'll wanna see about getting you a Ghost, or fixing yours, if either is at all possible."

Mara nodded. "Okay. There a lady's room here?"

Bastien pointed. "Yeah. Yeah, down the hall there, first door on your right. The funny one."

She raised an eyebrow. "Running water?"

Bastien grinned. "Only working faucets and shower around here for maybe a hundred square miles."

She gave him a slight smile and walked off down the hall. She opened the door, but loitered at it for a moment, and turned to look over at Bastien. "Thanks for saving my life, by the way."

Bastien's jaw shifted again, another Exo smile. "Anytime, sunshine."

She walked in to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. The first thing she did was look in the mirror. Her face was dirty, and smudged. Evidence of Bastien having wiped her down a little, but of course, there was never anything quite like a full shower or bath. She washed her face and dried it off with the hand towel, and looked again at herself. Her face had delicate, feminine features. She had bright, ice blue eyes, dark brown hair that flowed down to the small of her back, and a little mouth, with thin lips. She had a rather angular beauty. Looking over she noticed the shower and sighed in relief. The hideout was old and maybe even falling apart at certain parts, but it was a blessing. She stripped her shirt and shorts, and took a step into the shower. She took a step back though, and returned to the tall mirror, looking over her own body. She was average height, about five foot seven. She had large breasts on a slender frame and waist, which curved down and out to wide hips. Her skin was soft and fair, with a slight hint of freckles over her shoulders and back.

After she'd taken the time to get a good look at herself and regain somewhat of a sense of identity, she took a long shower, practically drained the boiler nearby of all the hot water, and returned to the room. She talked with Bastien a little while longer before crawling back into that bed and closing her eyes.

She hadn't slept better for centuries.


	3. There's A Way

…**There's A Way**

Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, there were stories. There were images, sounds; an absurd amount of sensory data locked away. The smell of peach shampoo. The taste of an ice-cold beer. A face. Mother, was it? The sound of children's laughter, and a flock of seagulls lazily gliding above a crimson sunset. All those little things she had taken for granted, and even deliberately neglected. And the ultimate tragedy was that they were lost for all time, never to be recovered. Only in her dreams would she have a glimpse into her past, a glimpse that would fade away the very moment it came into existence.

One thing seemed very familiar, though: the smell of something known to the old world as bacon. Yes, something that could withstand the test of time.

Bacon.

Well, perhaps not. It merely occurred that Bastien had a reserve of bacon and other foods in a freezer, and was hard at work cooking a small breakfast for Mara. The Exo did not eat, of course, but he often stuck to habits such as cooking and brewing coffee. Even lighting a cigarette and holding it between his metallic lips. He wondered where these habits came from. It was as if they had been programmed into his personality.

Mara sniffled softly as she opened her eyes, taking in the smell of Bastien's cooking. She sat up, yawning and stretching, her long, dark hair a bit of a mess, thanks to the lack of a hair dryer. It was that point right in the morning where it wasn't too hot, and wasn't too cold; an hour or so of an almost perfect climate. She pulled the sheets from her and sat on the edge of the bed, rolling her head around gently, her muscles still sore from her return to the land of the living, and the injuries sustained the day before. Bastien turned his head slightly and smiled. "A fine morning to you, miss." He greets her, passing a few pieces of bacon onto a plate, completing a meal with scrambled eggs and a couple sausage links.

Bastien came over to the small nightstand and placed the plate before her, providing a fork.

"Is that for me?"

Bastien laughed and leaned back into his chair. "Well, it's certainly not for me."

Mara leaned forward and began to eat, sighing in deep satisfaction. It was quite literally rediscovering food and all the flavors it had to offer. Bastien watched her, with the same curiosity as the night before. He couldn't help but feel a little envious. What did that taste like? What was it like? What did it smell like? It wasn't a malicious envy. It was more like a reminiscence of a long forgotten joy.

"That was amazing," Mara set the fork down, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. "Thank you Bastien, really. For everything you've done for me. I just can't thank you enough." She leaned back and grinned shaking her head. "Sorry if I sound like a broken record. It's just, well, you've done a whole lot. Place like this, the way the world is, I can't imagine there are many as kind."

"Ah, don't mention it. My pleasure. And of course, I couldn't possibly have just left you out there to die a second time." Bastien stood up and looked over some data on one of the holoscreens nearby. He turned back to her.

"Alright, well, I've got sorta good news. While you were sleeping I had my Ghost do a little recon and I've managed to track down the cache. It's in a heavily guarded area, not far, about ten clicks east from here in an old warehouse."

Mara tilted her head. "That's no good. How will you get it out of there?" She got up and took her spent plate over to the sink, starting to scrape off the little bits of food that remained.

"Piece of cake. I'm a Bladedancer, after all."

The Bladedancers, a subclass of the Hunters, were masters of stealth, long range engagement, and close quarters, hand-to-hand combat. With the right tools and training, a single Hunter would be able to clear an entire area of enemies before they even knew what hit them. And if shit hit the fan? Like all Hunters, they were crackshots with precision weaponry. No doubt, Bastien was as deadly as he was friendly.

Mara made her way back to sit on the edge of the bed. "Gotcha. You sure you'll be alright out there? I mean, I know I maybe can't fight right now-"

Bastien listened attentively as she spoke. _Heh. Bullshit._

"-but if it helps, I can go out there with you, I don't know, pick up a sniper-"

_You're a Guardian. And just as much a killing machine as I am._

Bastien put a hand up as politely as he could. "It's fine, Mara. Really, I've had _far_ worse odds. Besides, you still need to gather your strength, and I need someone to keep an eye out on the place, yea?"

Mara sighed and nodded. "Alright, alright. Just wanna know you'll be okay."

Bastien gave a nervous laugh. He didn't quite expect this sort of attachment. He felt like he had rescued a lost puppy out of the freezing rain. Though frankly, that wasn't very far from the reality.

"I will be, I promise." He grunted as he got up and finished gearing up; he had already prepared before Mara had awoken, and needed only to gather his weapons. "I won't be long," he reached into a satchel and tossed her a small, rectangular machine. "Comm link. We can use these to stay in touch. If anything comes up, drop me a line."

Mara caught the device and looked it over. "Got it."

Bastien's Ghost materialized out of thin air next to him and chimed in.

"Good morning, Bastien. Topographical scans of the area are complete and ready for use," it said, then turned to Mara. The Ghost bobbed slightly in the air before floating a quarter circle around Mara. "Oh, hello, Guardian. I'm Bastien's Ghost. My name is Deacon."

_So this is a Ghost._

She gave a small wave, her eyes fixed on the little machine, curiously examining it. "Hello, Deacon. Nice to meet you."

Deacon shifted and turned on an axis. "The feeling is mutual, Mara. Bastien here has told me all about you."

Bastien shoved the Ghost ever so slightly. "Not everything."

"True," Deacon continued. "I do have some questions of my own for you, Guardian, but they'll have to wait for now." It turned towards Bastien. "Shall we?"

Bastien waved his hand and Deacon disappeared once more. "Of course, Deacon."

Bastien slung his scout rifle over his shoulder and shrugged. "Impatient little guy, that one. Look," he reached into his satchel and pulled out a weapon. A gold and navy handcannon and spun it in his hand, before setting it down on the nightstand. "Just in case; if anything happens."

Mara looked at the weapon.

_Something about it…_

"There's also an auto rifle in the locker over there."

"But I don't know how to use these weapons."

Bastien shook his head. "And I'm sure you won't need them, but you'll be alright. This is the safest place in this sector." He made his way to the door.

_"Scanning. Nothing in the whole building. We're clear."_ Deacon's voice said.

"Good." Bastien opened the door. "I won't be long, just try to relax a little bit while I'm away. We'll get to the Tower when I get back and I promise we'll get you sorted out."

"Okay," she said through a small exhale.

Bastien smiled again. "Don't worry. It'll be a walk in the park." He closed the door, locking it with the security code.

Mara sighed and looked around. She wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do now. She sat down in the chair Bastien had been using and rested her elbows on the nightstand, her hands holding her chin up. "Shit." She muttered.

She wanted to just close her eyes and go back to sleep to get her mind off everything. The most troubling thing, more than this 'Darkness,' or the collapse, or even the aliens that had attacked her, she felt empty. She was a shell, a husk. She had no idea who she was or who she was supposed to be, and though she had been fairly quiet about it for now, if only to keep Bastien from having to deal with it after everything he'd done for her, it was tormenting her inside. She whimpered and slid her arm across the nightstand, knocking the gun onto the metal floor and laying her head down, unable to hold back the tears. Was this normal? She was a Guardian. Guardians didn't question. They were strong, formidable warriors. They were fearless, and relentlessly fought for humanity and the Last City. Maybe the Ghost hadn't finished? Maybe there was something Bastien hadn't been telling her?

She lifted her head and sniffled, looking down at the handcannon. She reached down and picked it up, holding it in her hands and examining it carefully. She brushed her fingers along the metal of the weapon, appreciating the craftsmanship, and the intricate, golden etchings on it. Was this her fate? To take up arms against the Darkness, like all the other Guardians? She didn't have a Ghost. What if she died? What if she wasn't meant to be a Guardian? And more importantly, what if she didn't _want_ to be one? She hadn't said anything, but a part of her wanted to just run, to run down and out and put a round through her head.

Surely that would awaken her from this nightmare.

* * *

The hours passed and the sun drifted lazily across the sky, the day becoming hotter.

She had accessed the database on one of the terminals and looked up information on the various alien races that had been spotted out in the wild. She looked up history on the Last City. Though there wasn't very much from before the collapse. She tidied up the place a little. It wasn't dirty, merely disorganized. At around noon she was laying on the bed with her back to the wall, fanning herself with the pages of an old, damaged book, having peeled her shirt off to deal with the rising temperatures. She wondered how much water she had drank already.

A few more hours passed and she decided to check up on Bastien. She grabbed the comm and pinged the Exo. There was no reply. She tried again after a minute.

There was a short beep and a quiet burst of static.

"_Hey, Mara, what's up? Everything alright?"_ It sounded like he was whispering.

"Yes, Bastien, everything's good here. Just checking up on you."

He gave a short chuckle through the channel. _"Doing just fine here. Ran into a bit of a snag, but nothing Deacon and I can't handle. In a situation at the moment, so…"_

Bastien was lying on a ruined balcony, overlooking a large courtyard that once belonged to a luxury hotel. The warehouse was just behind it. It hadn't been a long journey at all to this position, and access to his sparrow had been a huge help. He'd tracked a Fallen squad to this point, and discovered the cache was indeed a large chest-like container, though it looked worn. The Fallen were notorious for scavenging Golden Age technology wherever possible and reverse engineering it to suit their own needs. And Bastien wasn't about to let the bastards take more of it. Of course, the cut of glimmer and Vanguard marks for this mission was nice too. Anything that would help him kill more of these alien sonsofbitches. They were however, already loading the large crate onto a sort of hovering transport plate, pulled with thick metal cables by one of their patrol vehicles, a Pike.

_Not on my watch._

He looked through the scope of his Pompeii-LR5 sniper rifle, adjusting the knobs slightly, until the Fallen in his sights was clear as day. He checked the makeshift silencer one more time, and squeezed the trigger. The butt slammed into his shoulder and a faint puff was heard as the round was fired. Through the scope, he saw the Fallen's head explode, spattering the concrete wall behind it with blood, and the 'soul' escaping its body. "…so I'll have to keep communications to a minimum. Really though, I'm fine. Just stay safe, stay quiet, and I'll be back in no time, okay?" He said reassuringly.

_"So you called while in the middle of an engagement?"_

"Hey,cI like to live on the edge," he said innocently.

"_Ok, Bastien. I'll let you know if anything happens."_

"Ditto," he replied.

"_Be careful out there."_

Bastien smiled as he fired another round, and another Fallen soul was sent screaming back to hell. "Always."

He killed the link.

Mara sighed deeply and tossed herself back on the bed. Nothing she could do could put her mind at ease. She wanted to scream and just wake up. But this had gone on long enough for her to know she wasn't dreaming. She groaned loudly.

More time went by. She glanced at the clock on the holopanel.

She'd tried singing. She found she was actually very good at it. Or so, she thought. No tune in particular, but simply made something up as she had gone along. She had figured out how to field strip the handcannon Bastien had left her. She counted thirty-seven times before she grew bored, put it back together and set it back down. She was glad she messed with it though, in the process, she was able to understand the inner workings of the weapon. A concept that likely was applied to the rest of the weaponry in this world. At least if something happened, she'd know how to fire a gun. But it wasn't long before she grew bored of that. She had even explored her own body, rediscovering the magic of the female orgasm several times. She found it helped take her mind off everything a little better than the other things. Though, perhaps not quite as much as _eating_. Either she was always hungry, or Bastien cooked one hell of a meal.

Eventually that battered, old moon had risen, temperatures dropped, and she found herself curled up in the bed tightly, and had a fire going in the fireplace. She'd catch herself wondering what exactly had happened to the earth. She thought about the nature of the Darkness from the little that she knew. She had read several opinions on it on Bastien's terminal. Some believed it to be some non-corporeal force that swept across the solar system. Some thought it was an army of extra-galactic aliens who came to finish us off after the Traveler fled to our system. She thought about... the Hive. Enemies she hoped she would never have to face. They were skeletal, zombie-like beings. They were hideous creatures; their architecture bleak and menacing.

_Fuck, just stop already._

She sighed, laying in the bed for several minutes, just staring up at the ceiling. After a while she let her hand wander down between her legs again, and went to work.

It wasn't very long after that she passed out.

* * *

The morning came, and thin beams of sunlight shone through old, closed, cracked blinds. As it turned out, the main hallway on the top floor was crumbling. It was stable however, and while the roof of the building was mostly intact, parts had fallen and cracked, allowing the sun to touch its innards here and there. Mara jumped, startled by her nightmare. She sighed and swung her legs out of the bed, running her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"Son of a…" she sighed. What an awful dream. She didn't remember what she saw, but it was terrifying. She couldn't help but wonder if humans were supposed to dream every single night.

She coughed and stood, stretching. She felt a few bones in her spine pop, and she let out a pleased moan, before leaning over to grab her shirt and pull it on, making her way to the bathroom to wash her face. She took the time to have another shower, and rummaged through several cabinets and drawers looking for more clothing. Guardians came and went through these hideouts, and often left behind useful supplies as a courtesy to the next inhabitants. Nothing quite fitting her frame snugly, but she found a decent shirt that read _Tex Mechanica _and had a small logo of a bull's head next to the text. She'd also found a pair of thick pants with pockets, and a belt to keep it tight around her smaller waist. As for her feet, luck would have it that there was a pair of beige combat boots that fit her perfectly. She even found a few rubber bands which she used to tie her hair back into a ponytail.

Clothes. Bastien had dressed her that night, when he saved her from that band of Fallen.

Bastien.

_Let's chuck up on him,_ she thought.

She sent out a quiet message. "Bastien, this is Mara. Just checking in."

She let go of the send button and waited for a reply. A minute went by. Maybe he's busy? She tried again. "Bastien, acknowledge. Just say one word and I'll stop bugging ya."

Nothing.

She waited for three minutes. "Bastien?"

Another five minutes passed. Something was wrong. He'd at least reply with one word, letting her know he was busy. Wouldn't he?

She paced the room, twirling the gun in her hand, having become proficient at it after also trying to emulate Bastien the day before. Could something have gone wrong? Was he in a heated firefight? He could simply open a link through his helmet and say something, right?

No. Something was wrong. But what could she do? She barely knew how to use a gun. She didn't know where the hell she was or how she could even begin to go look for him. The very idea was insane, if more Fallen showed up while she was-

There was a loud bang as the sound bounced through the room, causing her ears to ring loudly. Debris exploded in from the hallway towards the bathroom, followed by a cloud of dust. She gritted her teeth and held her hands over her ears. But even so she was able to hear the faint growls and snarls that were all-too-familiar.

The Fallen.

She pushed the pain in her ears away and grabbed the gun, taking cover on the opposite of the bed, and flipped the safety.

Two Vandals crept into the room, sweeping the area with rifles raised.

Mara's heart was pounding in her chest. But she wasn't afraid. Not anymore. She wanted to know.

The Fallen found their way here. How could they? How could they know she was here? Was her singing too loud? Was-

Bastien.

She felt adrenaline.

And the fury of a thousand suns.

Time seemed to slow as she let out a battle cry, and flames surged across her body and culminated at her handcannon. She leaned up over the bed and pulled her trigger.

Two powerful rounds, trailing tails of flame seared through the dust and found their way into the skulls of the two aliens, setting their bodies on fire, and crumbling into ash. Behind them, more Fallen, and she fired again. Another fiery round tore through a line of three of the smaller Fallen, Dregs, and finished off a fourth behind the final Dreg.

In that moment she felt focus. She didn't know what just happened, but something clicked in her mind, and she was ready for war, and she swore vengeance upon every single thing not of this earth.

Mara leaped over the bed and fired more rounds into advancing Fallen. They returned fire, but she easily dodged their attacks and pushed them back.

The gun clicked, and she was out of ammo. A quick look around and she found two knives sitting on the counter. She quickly grabbed them, feeling instantly familiar in her hands. A larger vandal, wielding two blades that crackled with energy came into the room and snarled at Mara. She bared her teeth back at it and leapt. The Captain swiftly dodged to the side and landed an improvised hit into Mara's ribcage, sending her flying back through the hole in the wall where the Fallen had entered.

She coughed up a little blood after hitting the ground. But it didn't hurt much at all. The Fallen turned and crawled out of the wall, into the large room they were now in, bathed in the morning sunlight. Mara looked around. No other Fallen in sight.

_Must've been a smaller squad._

Maybe they just stumbled upon her?

She held the two knives in her hands, the points facing downward from the bottom of her fists. She didn't know how she knew how to fight. But it felt natural. It felt right. The alien roared before charging at her with his swords raised. It swiped at her, and she quickly dodged to the right, though the blade knicked her arm. The other blade came around, and she side-stepped it, the blade passing a few inches from her face.

The alien reeled and turned for a third attack, swiping with both swords. Mara ducked and rolled out of the way before tossing a knife. The blade found the Fallen's neck on its side, and it dropped to its knees, then toppled over, grabbing at its throat trying to find the blade. Mara advanced on the wounded alien. It reached for its own dropped energy blades for a final defense, but too late. The Guardian stepped hard on the alien's arm, and in one swift movement dropped down and drove her remaining blade into the Fallen's head, twisting the knife and gritting her teeth as the creature cried out, and wisps of bright, lavender energy surged from the wound and faded into the air.

It stopped moving.

And then it was quiet once more, save for her heavy breathing. She panted and slumped back on her rear, tossing the bloodied knife aside and spitting at the alien's corpse.

She looked down at her hands, covered in blood and small wounds from her tangle with the alien. She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes.

Then came another snarl, and a Dreg had a blade raised, ready to bring it through Mara's chest.

Then the alien's head exploded.

She shuddered and looked around for more contacts.

The comm crackled. _"Lesson number one, Guardian. Never let your guard down."_

Mara laughed in relief and tapped at her comm. "Bastien, you're okay!"

"_Oh I was in the neighborhood bringing back our prize, noticed you could use a little help." _

Bastien was across the building atop another skyscraper, where he had managed to haul the crate up somehow. It would be necessary to do so, as certain interferences in the area were playing hell with the link grid. This is also why the hideout was up high, in case of emergency extraction via jumpship.

"Shit, it's good to see you. Thought I'd lost you." She grinned.

Bastien waved. She saw him in the distance. He looked like a small toy from here. _"Glad to see you've taken an interest in stabbing aliens. Sorry I didn't reply back there. Took a hit to my helmet that knocked out my mic for awhile. It's sort of working now." _The sound quality was awful, but at least he was alive and well.

She laughed. She felt something in her chest. Was this what joy was? He was alright, and that's all that mattered. He saved her life, and up until this point? He was quite literally all she knew. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him now.

"I'd say I learned from the best but, well you were off picking flowers."

Bastien laughed. "Nice to see you've got a sense of humor. Listen though, party's not over. The Fallen know we're here and are on their way to this position. That scouting party you just took out was just… er, scouting. We need to move. One second." He moved over to the crate and laid over it, summoning his Light, and in the blink of an eye, the crate, and Bastien materialized before Mara.

She stepped back for a moment. "How the hell did you do that?" She asked.

"Blink. Most Hunters can do it. I'll give you a full explanation later if you want, but we've gotta get out of here." He stepped over to her and handed her a small data chip. "Here, take this, plug it into the terminal and press the green button- er, the green one with the triangle. It'll save everything on there and wipe the system. I've gotta call in our bird."

Mara nodded, taking the chip and heading inside. She followed Bastien's instructions, and waited a moment while a percentage counted from zero to one-hundred fairly quick. The screen read 'All Data Erased' and she pulled the chip, shoving it into her pocket, and starting to head for the hole in the wall. She stopped and turned back, looking into the room, and the discarded handcannon on the floor. She picked it up and slid it into the waist of her pants. _Not losing you, either._

She made her way back out, where Bastien was busy setting a small device on the crate, tapping strange holographic symbols. "What's that?" She asked.

"Atomic data transmitter. Scans objects to sync with a ships materializer. The process, more simply known as transmatting. It's gonna let us lift his bad boy outta here," he says, giving the crate a tap. "All done."

Deacon appeared and floated around the two. "Bastien-9, coordinates successfully transmitted. The _Haven_ is on its way."

Bastien nodded. "Good work, Deacon. ETA?"

"One moment," the little machine whirred. "Scanning approach vectors and velocity… And done. Our ETA for extraction is three minutes." With that Deacon disappeared again.

"Good enough." He turned towards Mara "Let's hope no more of these Fallen show up here before we're out." Mara looked around for any activity.

"All quiet so far," she said.

Bastien looked over across the roof, he too keeping his eyes peeled for any movement. Deacon also continued to scan the area in the background. "Speaking of being out," Bastien said, reaching into his satchel and pulling out a few cylindrical items and handing them to Mara. "Here you go. Ammo cores. You might need them."

She took them, sticking all but one into the pouch on her waist, and reloading the handcannon. "Yeah, looks like I needed this after all," she chuckled.

Bastien shrugged. "Ehh, just didn't wanna freak you out too much. It's not every day you wake up and learn you're a badass war machine."

"Fallen detected. Large numbers. Gunship incoming. We'll have to hold this position for a moment. We should be fine, but it might get a little hot," Deacon interrupted.

"We'll make do, just make sure the ol' girl gets here."

"They're here, watch your backs!"

Mara readied her weapon. "I've got this."

The next moment, several Fallen began crawling up over the edges of the building.

"Let 'em have it!" Bastien yelled, and fired his Poacher U19 scout rifle at the approaching horde of aliens.

Mara took aim and fired carefully, seven of eight rounds in the ammo core hitting dead center between her enemies' eyes. They continued firing, being pushed back as the fallen advanced. In moments they were surrounded.

"Fuck!" Bastien cursed. "Deacon, how's that ETA looking?"

"Thirty seconds for extraction."

In thirty seconds, they'd be alien bait. But then the Fallen surround them stopped as a loud roar was heard. Over the edge crawled a larger Fallen. Bastien took a step back and fired his weapon, the rounds ricocheting off the alien's shields.

"Archon!" Deacon called out.

A single Vandal charged ahead of the Archon, who promptly snarled and with the wave of a huge arm smacked it back into the crowd of Fallen. These Guardians were his.

Mara turned her fire towards it as the brute lumbered towards them with a weapon raised. Her rounds also didn't do much against the shielded target.

"Get down!" Bastien called out as he primed an arcbolt grenade, tossing it at the Archon. The grenade detonated, stunning several Fallen in its perimeter, and took down the leader's shields.

"Now!" Deacon called as Bastien and Mara raised their weapons and fired. The Archon roared as the rounds began slamming into him. Some chipped and splintered its armor, while others hit the crevices between the plating. But they weren't stopping it. It began to lumber towards them with its weapon raised, and returned fire. The incendiary rounds from the alien's shotgun-like weapon cracked and destroyed the concrete where the Guardians stood a moment before. Bastien cursed patting away at the end of his cloak which had caught fire while Mara covered him, picking up Bastien's rifle and unloading a fresh magazine into the Archon.

But at this point it was clear that it would take far more firepower to bring the beast down. It stood above Mara and level its weapon, aimed right at her face.

Just then a thundering boom filled the sky, and Bastien's gunship swooped low above the building, firing heavy rounds into the Archon's back. It roared and turned towards the gunship, and Mara took the opportunity. She pulled her knife and leapt onto the alien's back, wrapping an arm around its neck and squeezing hard as she repeatedly drove her blade again and again into the creature's neck, until a thrust finally penetrated its thick armor, and met its spinal cord. Realizing their leader had been defeated, the surrounding Fallen roared in defiance and raised their weapons.

At that very moment, the ships materializer picked them up, and teleported the two into the ship, and the crate into the cargo bay. Stray enemy fire pelted the ship, but its armor was far too powerful for the aliens' infantry weaponry. The ship quickly continued its course and flew off into the sky.

Bastien materialized in the pilot chair, with Mara appearing on the floor behind him. She took a deep breath and lay on her back, closing her eyes. Bastien laughed and whooped with a clap of his hands, turning back to Mara. "And that's how it's done!" he said. "You didn't even flinch when my cloak caught fire,"

Mara shrugged. "You're an Exo, I didn't think you could catch on fire."

Bastien snorted. "Me? I was worried about my cloak. Deacon?"

The Ghost appeared floating before Bastien. "Yes, Bastien?"

"Bring us home."

Deacon bobbed slightly before disappearing. "You got it."

"C'mon, Mara, it's gonna be a little bumpy so you best strap yourself in here," Bastien pointed at the co-pilot seat. "Sorry the transition was a little rough, the ship is only properly coded to me right now, but that's an easy fix."

Mara quickly got up and rode shotgun, buckling in. "I'm just glad we made it, don't you worry." She looked at him with a sincere smile. "I'm glad _you_ made it, Bastien."

He chuckled and flipped a few switches. "You and me both, sunshine." He said with a tone that was almost endearing. "Guess that has a whole new meaning now, doesn't it?" He reached over to give her a firm shake on the shoulder. "That was a good fight back there, you did not fail to impress."

The ship rumbled as the jump drive warmed up and prepared to fire.

"You wanna explain to me how I did that, having no previous training and 'needing time to recover? " she asked with a confused smirk.

Bastien cocked his head. "You're a Guardian," he said, matter-of-factly, turning his attention back to the station, flipping a few more switches and entering commands in preparation, before giving her another look.

"And like me, it seems, a Hunter."

She smiled and looked forward out the viewport as they rocketed higher into the sky.

There had been a degree of thrill down there, despite everything else. Beneath all the questions and emotions that lingered, the inexorable urge to break down and cry, or run into the distance and never return, in hopes of somehow waking up where she truly belonged, wherever that was, Mara accepted the truth. This was where she belonged. She was a Hunter, a Guardian of the last city on earth, a protector of mankind. She would get her answers, but now, for the first time in her new life, she knew who she was, and she knew her purpose. And she knew this was now her destiny.


	4. To Be Human

**To Be Human**

The Speaker hummed thoughtfully as he examined the remains of Mara's Ghost. Mara sniffled, the smell of incense tickling her nose. She brushed it with a finger. Looking around, she felt… odd. Certainly this wasn't the Speaker's quarters, but word had it he spent the majority of his time here. There were enormous bookcases bursting at the seams with books of all shapes and sizes, and the few empty spots were stuffed with pieces of old technology and artifacts. There were more on the floor, along with several chests and what looked like ancient navigational equipment. At the Speaker's desk, an incense burner, and more mountains of books, stacks of paper, old maps, among other things.

_Is this what visiting a grandparent feels like?_

"The damage is indeed catastrophic," the Speaker said as he pulled a small box from the bookshelf, bringing it over to the table, which was now a makeshift workbench of sorts. There were a number of metal tools and instruments inside that he used to tinker with the Ghost. Mara stood quietly with her arms crossed, watching him. The Ghost's shell was fairly intact, but a round from a Fallen wire rifle had gone right through its core, destroying vital components.

The Speaker shook his head. "I won't lie to you Guardian; the chance of getting your Ghost back is gone. We simply do not understand the inner workings of their technology well enough for such a repair just yet, I'm afraid."

Mara frowned and looked at her toes. That little machine was the reason she was alive in the first place. Not to discredit Bastien's accomplishments, but she felt she owed it as well. Another part of her she had pushed deep into the back of her head loathed the Ghost for having ever brought her into a world like this. But, she was a Guardian now, and she needed a Ghost.

"I thought that might be the case," she lamented. "Its fine, you have my thanks for taking a look at it."

The Speaker nodded softly. "Of course, Guardian. I know how important it is for you to have a Ghost, so I can make you an offer, if you are willing to listen."

This caught her attention. "Yes?"

"I cannot make any promise, but in the last several years I have been devoting many resources to a new scientific research division, with efforts pooled on understanding the technology of the Ghosts. We have learned much, but still not quite enough. Like yours, many others have been claimed by the enemy before they had a chance to return fellow Guardians to us." The Speaker picked up the dead Ghost in his hands and came up to Mara.

"We lose more and more as this fight goes on. The fewer Ghosts we have, the fewer Guardians. The fewer Guardians… and we are all doomed. So, I can either return this Ghost to you right now, and that would be the end of it. Or, leave it with me, and I will make sure we at least attempt to revive it. In the worst case, we can also learn from it to hopefully benefit others in the future."

Mara looked at the Speaker's masked face, wondering what was beneath. Or why he felt the need to wear such a mask every waking moment. "I understand. In that case, hang on to it. Please let me know if you are able to bring it back."

The Speaker gave a little bow of his head before turning and setting the Ghost down on a small footstool next to one of the large bookcases. "Mara, Bastien-9 told me much about you, as I'm sure you know. And also that he's explained to you our dire situation, yes?"

"Yeah, I suppose," she nodded. "Though, I still find a lot of this hard to believe."

The Speaker walked back to his desk, looking past it and out at the enormous holographic display below. "So do all who live in these times. You must have no end of questions, Guardian."

She shrugged. "More or less. Bastien answered a lot of them. There are a few things I do want to ask, however."

The Speaker turned. "Very well; however do keep in mind that I may not have answers for everything."

Mara gave him a long look, her expression devoid of any emotion. He was the _Speaker_. He spoke _for_ the Traveler while it lay dormant, or so she had been told.

What could he possibly not know?

After a few minutes, it turned out that the Speaker couldn't answer much more than Bastien could, though he did explain things in further detail, and even gave insight to some of the debate around what could have happened, over the centuries. Once Mara had nothing further to ask the Speaker, he handed her a data card. "Take this down to the Vanguard. You will need a set of gear and weapons if you are to begin venturing out into the wild."

She took it and examined the card carefully.

"You will have to be cautious. Remember you do not have a Ghost. Keep your wits about you and you will survive."

Mara gave him a short bow of her head. "I will. Thank you."

"Of course." He replied. "Now I must return to my work. If you need anything else, please, do not hesitate to come see me."

* * *

Mara fiddled with the card in her hand. It had been a long day, and she'd spent the majority of the time in the library, rummaging through old books and terminals, absorbing as much information of her new present as she possibly could. She'd not been assigned a quarter yet, and as such had been crashing on Bastien's couch. She now waited in the Hall of Guardians to see the Hunter Vanguard, an Exo by the name of Cayde-6.

The Vanguard was the closest thing the Guardians had to a structure of command. It was led by the strongest and most skilled Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks. They were the ones who gathered intelligence and arranged strikes, patrols, scouting missions and other organized movements for the Guardians. While any Guardian was essentially free to explore and reclaim our worlds as they saw fit, most of them vied for gaining favor with the Vanguard, and were thus awarded Vanguard Marks for their accomplishments. These Marks gave a Guardian access to the best armor and weapons that Glimmer could buy. Some saw it as foolish competition, brown-nosing the higher ups for vanity and greed. But the truth was, this system ensured only the most skilled warriors were equipped with the best, and encouraged the weaker to grow stronger. Personally, Mara felt like the Guardians needed a more cohesive leadership.

Her thoughts were interrupted by one of the working Frames in the Hall of Guardians.

"Excuse me, Guardian Mara, Cayde-6 is ready to see you now," the Frame said in a monotone murmur. Mara gave the Frame a short nod and stood, making her way into the Hall. The ceiling was high, and in the center was a large table, covered in maps, documents, and various types of equipment. Gathered around were a few Guardians, and the Vanguard leaders. Beyond the table, a large window that covered the extent of a wall, with a stellar view of the mountain range beyond the walls of the City.

Cayde-6, the Hunter Vanguard, looked up from the table, seeing Mara approach. He didn't look very different from Bastien, or the other Exos for that matter, Mara thought. In fact most seemed to be fairly similar with only an outer shell, colors and various details making any difference.

The Exo gave her a small wave as she came up to him. "Ah, hey there. You must be Mara, yeah?"

Mara nodded and offered her hand, which Cayde-6 took and have a brief shake. "Yeah, that's me."

"Good, good, nice to meet you. Welcome to the land of the living," he chuckled. "Thanks. The Speaker said you had some gear for me?" Mara asked, handing Cayde-6 the data chip. He looked at it and plugged it into a small, nearby terminal. There was a tiny beep. He pulled the chip and handed it back.

"I sure do," he said, bringing up an inventory UI on a holoscreen for Mara. On the screen there were several different types of armor and weapons. Mara was able to blow up a 3d image of the gear and look at their stats and functions. "This looks like some high end stuff," Mara muttered, looking over all the models.

Cayde shrugged. "Yeah, you've been authorized to get a bit of a head start on gear, on account of your little Ghost problem."

After a brief look Mara had selected her armor: for her helmet, she chose one called Cold Mantis 2.4.0. For her arm and legs, she chose the Exodus set. And finally for her chest piece, she selected Cryptid 4.6. Upon confirmation, she browsed a few different 'shaders,' which were color schemes for her armor. She then settled on one called Thunderdevil, a dark, dull blue and black mix with digital camo. The armor set was transferred to her personal Vault, which was accessible from any Vault terminal in the Tower. She didn't spend much time browsing for weapons. Bastien had let her keep the handcannon he'd lent her before. So she quickly found a scout rifle with a high rate of fire and stability. It too, was transferred to her vault.

"Okay, I think that should do it."

Cayde 'grinned,' much like Bastien would. "That's some fine gear you picked there, Mara. Take good care of it. Keep your armor in good shape, and it'll do the same for you."

"Thank you, Cayde." She said, returning the smile.

"Anytime. As for your Hunter cloak, well, that you'll have to earn. Now then," he said with a sigh, looking back to his terminal. "You might be wondering what happens next; well things could go one of several ways. For now, you're free to head out and pretty much do whatever you want, so long as you're advancing our causes. Many Hunters tend to work alone; it's just in our blood. Or, oil. Ahem, if that's not your thing you can be assigned to a fireteam for coordinated strikes, patrols, or scouting missions here with the Vanguard." He shook his head "I'd love to show you around and teach you a thing or two but unfortunately I'm stuck here with the Vanguard. You've got Bastien, though; he's as reliable as any Hunter. And a good friend."

"I agree," Mara said.

"Tell you what, get a feel for this whole Guardian thing. Figure out how you wanna go about your job. I do suggest sticking with Bastien for now, since you two are already acquainted. He's a bit of a lone wolf though.. So you might wanna check with him first."

Mara shook her head and grinned. "I don't think it'll be a problem, but yeah I'll make sure to ask him."

"Cool." Cayde said casually, scribbling something on a notepad. "Once you've got it figured out, tested your skills and done a few missions, come back and see me. We've had a lot of high priority missions that still need to be done, and we're looking for the best."

Mara gave him an odd look, raising a brow,

"I've a feeling about you," Cayde said. "I'm not saying I'm psychic or anything, but I haven't been wrong yet when I have said that. Well, there was that one time with... uh, that... green... Exo... Erm, anyhow, I'm sure you'll do fine, Mara."

Mara crossed her arms and looked around, a little flustered. And a small part of her worried. "Um, thanks, I guess. I'll do my best, Cayde."

"Excellent. One more thing," Cayde added, turning his head back to Mara from his notepad. "Say hi to Bastien for me, yeah?"

Mara grinned. "Of course."

"Thanks, they don't let me out often. You know, duty calls." He laughed.

"Don't worry, I'll let him know you're thinking of him."

Cayde chuckled. "Thank you. Good talk, won't keep ya any longer."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be seeing you around." With that, she turned and made her way back out to the Tower Watch.

* * *

The moon hung high in the sky, which to Mara's surprise, was now fairly devoid of the stars she had seen before. It was the lights of The City, Bastien had said. The brighter it gets down there, the harder it gets to see the stars. Mara felt stupid not knowing about certain things. She couldn't quite figure out how basic concepts, language, among other things she remembered well, as opposed to others. The Traveler's light was a strange thing indeed; it had all the power to create and bring life to worlds, but none to bring back an old mind. Hell, she wondered if her 'soul' had survived. If she wasn't just a copy, a new version of who she was long ago. Or if the same could be said about any Guardians who are resurrected over and over by their Ghosts. It terrified her to her core.

She leaned forward, taking a deep breath of the cold, mountain air, relishing the feel of it flowing through her lungs. Simple movements like breathing, stretching, among other things, she found more pleasurable than ever before. Whether this was a result of not remembering what they were like, or enhanced senses, she couldn't know. Her wounds had healed, and the gashes on her arm from the tangle with the Fallen had become faint scars. Had she known any better, she may have been worried that they healed at such an alarming rate.

She looked over the City. She had yet to go down there, despite having had the chance to earlier. The truth was, she was frightened to. She couldn't imagine the human condition. Sure, everything looked pristine and clean up here and _from_ here. But what was it like down in the city? The majority of earth's population, condensed in a mega city. Who policed that? Surely not the Guardians? She'd have to take a trip down there sometime. See what the Guardians are fighting so hard for…

Actually, she wasn't even sure she cared sometimes. Her whole life from before, whatever it had been was now gone. Did she have a family? Friends? A _boyfriend_? Hell, had she been married? So many questions. Questions with answers she would never receive. Yet the few nights she had slept, she could swear she remembered. She felt empty inside. She could watch the Fallen, or the Hive or whatever the fuck else overrun this city and she wouldn't care.

She didn't belong here.

"Hey there, sunshine."

Mara turned just in time to see Bastien lean on the railing next to her. "Hey, Bastien," she muttered, using both hands to wipe tears from her eyes. She couldn't turn to face him though, and just continued to look out over the City. She wrinkled her nose and sniffled.

"Mara, what's wrong?" A silly question, Bastien knew, but he wanted to show concern. He was looking right at her. For the untrained eye, there wouldn't be much expression in his features. But glancing over, Mara could see the worry on his face plain as day.

She shrugged and ran a hand through her dark brown hair. "Same old bullshit. I'm a damn coward."

"Hey, no, no. You stop that, alright?" Bastien placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're not a coward. In fact, you're brave. I gotta tell you, the way I found you out there in the Western Dead Zone? I wasn't sure you'd make it."

Mara glared at him.

He cocked his head slightly. "I'll be honest, there aren't many who would've made it in your condition."

"My condition?"

Bastien sighed.

"And what exactly is my condition, Bastien?" She asked, now on the verge of frustration and anger. "You keep giving these… Little hints and… Just, saying things, like I'm different. Why? Am I different? Be honest with me Bastien, because I've been nothing but honest with you."

He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand before looking away back over the railing, watching a dropship depart from another building in the distance into the night sky. "Mara, if I hadn't said anything, I just didn't want to worry you."

Mara looked at him blankly. "Please, just tell me."

He stood straight and shrugged his shoulders. Mara may not have been alive for a long time, but she had certainly never seen such a pronounced shrug.

"You're…" He started. How could he even explain in a way she'd understand? Then again, with all the shit going on- aliens invading earth, a race of evil, interdimensional space zombies destroying their moon… What would make sense?

"There's a reason the Fallen came after you and your Ghost. "

Mara blinked. This was it. This is what he had kept from her. It hadn't made much sense to her why the Fallen would trouble themselves with a few lone Guardians when there were thousands- an army- holed up in the city and scattered across the system, pushing back the alien threats.

Bastien took a glance around as if to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

"You're an anomaly, as some of us have taken to calling it." He held up a hand. "Er, a very few. Honestly there aren't very many who are aware of it. There's the Speaker, a handful of Cryptarchs, and a few other Guardians."

Mara wrinkled her brow. "And that is…?"

"You are very powerful Guardians. I mean, _exceptionally_ powerful. The ones who shape our future and have had a hand in all of our decisive battles, such as uh... Lords Saladin and Shaxx. I assume, anyway. The 'legendary' Guardians." Bastien went on. "A single one of you can take strike missions on their own and come out on top. Their skills, reflexes and bodies are virtually perfect. They're unmatched. And their connection to the Traveler's light is far stronger. This is why the Fallen have been hunting Ghosts and new Guardians. They're not looking for just any Guardians, they're looking for Guardians like you. You're one of their biggest threats. Almost every Guardian who has risen to above the rest has awoken in similar conditions. Under attack, hunted by our enemies."

"I don't understand why would you keep this from me? Why was it so important to keep quiet?"

Bastien turned and leaned with his back to the railing, resting his elbows on it. He looked at her. "Because it's not easy. Most Guardians come back to life and just… Fight. Almost as if we were just… Mindless drones. Fresh meat for the grinder. And we love it, the grind. The thrill of the hunt. The glory of combat. Sure we have questions of our own, but. Those like you?"

Bastien paused, looking down at his feet.

"Yeah?"

"They are the closest thing to human among the Guardians; we are... an army of living dead, Mara. Their emotions run deeper. They think more. To be one of you is anguish. Despair. And it's these attributes that have caused many to go rogue, even insane. Amplified by the Light, well… The results aren't pretty." Bastien stood straight and walked away from the railing a few paces. "If not watched or trained properly, they can be dangerous, even rebellious at times. And this makes them far more susceptible to corruption."

Mara nodded. "I understand, but I still don't see how it was necessary to keep this from me."

Bastien looked up at the sky, and the Traveler in the distance. The City's lights shined upon it, and it had its own faint flow on the underside, reflecting the light from the city.

"I was just worried about you, yeah?" he finally said with a deep exhale. "I saw a part of myself in you that night I found you. I know what you felt like. Waking up, finding out your entire world as you knew it had vanished from existence." And worst of all, unable to remember what it was. What you are fighting for."

Mara looked away, also looking at the Traveler, hanging low above the earth, keeping a silent, but watchful eye over what was left of humanity.

"I didn't want to burden you with more. I didn't want you to feel alone knowing that you are of the few suffering on the inside more than the rest of us."

"Yeah." Mara barely whispered.

They stood there for a few moments, which had felt like hours, in silence. Nothing more than the faint hum of ships flying overhead, the bustle of the City far below, and the occasional patrol Frame lumbering by. A dropship arrived not far, and a fireteam of Guardians made their way into the Tower, whooping and giving each other high fives. Then it was more or less silent again.

"So," Bastien broke the silence, "you went and saw the Vanguard?"

"Yeah, geared up. Gave me some higher grade stuff. Better chance for survival, he said."

Bastien scratched at some of the cracked paint in the railing, flicking it off. "Ah, how is Cayde doing these days, anyway?"

She shrugged. "Alright I guess. He doesn't seem too happy though. Funny you should ask, he said 'hi,' by the way."

Bastien chuckled. "Yeah, guy's always preferred to have his boots on the ground. Did they assign you a fireteam? Take any missions?"

"No," she shook her head. "But Cayde suggested I stick with you for a while. Show me the ropes."

Bastien's eyes seemed to light up. Well, more than usual. He had been a little worried that after saving her, she'd find her way and never see her again.

"So…" Mara extended the 'o' sound for a bit. "I'm gonna be crashing your couch for a while longer. If that's fine with you," she said with a halfhearted smile.

Bastien laughed. "Perfectly fine. What, though, they didn't assign you a quarter?"

She shook her head.

"Huh. Well, I mean, usually you get referred to Hall of Guardians administration for that, but it is strange they didn't mention it."

Mara crossed her arms. "Speaker probably thought Cayde would, and vice-versa."

"Riiiiight. Well, we can head over there and see about getting you one right now,"

Mara bit her lip. "That's… Fine, I guess." She looked away.

Bastien wasn't a fool, nor was he blind. Maybe forgetful at times. "You, uh. Don't want one?"

"N-no, it's not that, it's just…"

A large, rather loud transport ship flew overhead.

"It's just, I'm comfortable. With you. I don't really know anyone else and- well I guess I just don't want to start losing things again now that I have them."

Bastien did that thing with the eyebrow he always did.

"I'm sorry, I'm being stuid." She said, looking away.

Bastien shook his head. "No, you're not. I understand, really. I would welcome you with open arms."

Without warning she wrapped her arms around him, and pressed her head softly against his chest. He was surprised and stood still for a moment, before curling his own arms around her slender frame.

"It's alright, Mara. Everything's gonna be fine."

She sighed. "You don't even believe that yourself, do you?"

"No. But I'll be damned if I won't do everything in my power to try to change that."

"Good."

Mara was quiet for a few minutes, before pulling away from the embrace.

"Now then, what do you say we finish off the day with a little fun?"

* * *

Somewhere in the middle of North Tower was a quaint, little bar. Compared to the technology of the rest of the tower, this one looked like it belonged in the old world. There were strange artifacts and objects stuck to the walls and ceilings, many of which she would occasionally point out and say she knew what it was- only to realize, she didn't.

Old, rusted fans spun slowly in the vents overhead, they looked like they hadn't been replaced in a hundred years. There were posters and neon signs for extinct brands of lager, liquor, and even ice cream.

There was music playing as well, dark heavy beats, and the lighting was a dark, dim, earthy gold. A banner hung across the center of the room bearing the Hunter insignia. The place welcomed all Guardians, but mostly Hunters hung around here, causing the owner to spruce it up to them to stir up business a little more.

Bastien had shown her around the Tower for about an hour, and finally once Mara let out a small complaint about walking, they made their way here, to this bar. They spent another hour here, talking, about the city, about life, ignoring the darker topics, such as the past, or the aliens, or anything to do with the universe outside of the walls of their city. Bastien even told her a couple of stories, shit he'd done and been through during his time here. Keeping the tone light and bright.

"So, yeah," Bastien said, tapping his hand on the table. "I spent three days in the residential district, keeping hidden, until finally a few Titans tracked me down and dragged my shiny, metal ass back to the tower."

Mara smiled and took a long drink of water. "Well I'm glad they brought you back. Can you imagine? I'd have died out there."

Bastien chuckled. "Oh that's the only reason you care huh, save your skin?"

She winked at him and poured whiskey into a glass, swirling it around with the half-melted ice cubes already in it. She'd had a few drinks, so far her tolerance was proving legendary.

They talked more, Mara enjoyed crispy, breaded chicken strips as an appetizer, while Bastien casually 'smoked' a cigarette. Eventually, Mara was getting past a buzz. She laughed heartily, sitting in one of the booths with Bastien, and ran a palm over her forehead, wiping sweat from it, her other, shaky hand holding a shot glass with amber liquid, before tossing it back.

"This is… Th-the best decision I've made in my entire… Hum. Life." She muttered. Bastien chuckled watching her.

She smacked the glass back onto the table and wiped her lips, reaching for the bottle of whiskey. Bastien laughed and grabbed it, pulling it away. "Now, now, that's probably enough for now, don't need you dying on me tonight," he said, screwing the lid back on.

"Noooo, no, no, _I_ decide when I've had enough." She slurred.

Bastien tugged the bottle further and laughed nervously. "Come on now, Mara, just trust me on this one."

Mara groaned, but was quickly distracted as a waitress came by and set her food on the table. She licked her lips and just stared for a moment. Cheeseburger. An ancient dish dating back since before the Golden Age. There were many types of new foods that had been developed since the collapse, facsimiles of old world traditions that had evolved into new things altogether. And most of it was synthesized, as it was cost effective. There were few farms and processing plants for real food throughout the city; while both held the same nutritional values, real food just plain tasted better. And it was a commodity.

Bastien leaned back and sighed, placing a small data card into a slot on his arm. This was the closest thing he could do to get drunk: ingest small bits of code into his programming that simulated the sensation of a buzz, or high, if desired. 'Trip chips,' they called them. He leaned his head back, satisfied with a light buzz. It was never more than light, as the Exos' programming was still not fully understood, and their 'immune system' was extremely advanced.

Mara had taken a few bites of her cheeseburger and was now idly munching on a couple of fries. She felt the warm and hazy, but it was a good feeling. It was cozy, and she felt safe. And she found that all her problems faded away. Even as she remembered them with this realization, she couldn't bring herself to focus on them, or even care. This liquid was the nectar of the gods.

She grinned at Bastien, and he smiled back. "Enjoying yourself?"

Mara nodded slowly. "Ooooooh, yes.."

He couldn't help but laugh again. And he couldn't stop thinking about how damn adorable she was like this. He'd never intended letting her drink this much, but she had insisted, and he agreed, on the terms she would stop when he say so.

She yawned and stretched, placing her elbows on the rosewood table and resting her shin on her hands, smiling at him. Just then, a man walked by. And then he came back, taking a long look a Mara, then at Bastien.

"Well I'll be fucking damned, Bastien,"

He was tall, about six-foot eight, and had a geometric tattoo across his forehead. His skin was dark, matching his dark brown eyes, and his hair was jet black. He had sharp, strong features; high cheekbones, and a wide jaw.

The man grinned and looked back at Mara, letting out a slow whistle. "How the hell did you snag a girl like this?" He picked up the whiskey bottle and gave it a little shake, sloshing the liquid around inside. "Guess you needed a little help, huh?"

Bastien snatched the bottle from him and set it back on the table. "Fuck off, Haden."

Haden grinned. "You know I'm playing, B. Room for one more?" He asked, standing near Mara's side of the booth, with a clear intention of sitting next to her.

"Yeah, yeah," Bastien sighed, scooting over to make room for him.

"Of… Course! Join us!" Mara chimed.

"Well at least _someone's_ polite," Haden said, taking a seat next to Bastien. He poured himself a whiskey in one of the extra glasses on the table. "How've you been, my man?" He said with that frankly annoying grin, and gulped down his shot.

"Eh, fine, just got back from a mission."

Haden poured another drink. "Any cool stuff? I just got back from Mars myself. Got me a sweet auto rifle from the Vanguard. Not that I need it at this point."

"Nothing too exciting, just glimmer, which is more than fine by me," he mused.

"Right, right. So who is your uh, gorgeous friend here?" Haden asked, giving her a warm smile.

"I'm Mara," she said. "At least… I think so."

Haden laughed and reached out to shake her hand. "You _think_ so? I'm Haden Couler, I'm a Titan. It's a pleasure."

Haden had been on countless missions with Bastien a few years ago. They had originally met out in the European Dead Zone, squabbling over a cluster of engrams stashed in an old, abandoned factory. Eventually they settled it with their fists, Bastien's speed countering the Titan's raw power. They ended up splitting the engrams and became close friends. They were later assigned to a fireteam together with a Warlock. It didn't work out. After that, they went their separate ways, but remained in touch.

Mara looked at his hand, not sure what he was doing. It was _mostly_ the alcohol. She just smiled.

Bastien snickered.

"Breaking my heart already, damn," he smirked. "Where'd you dig her up?

Bastien tapped his fingers on the table dismissively. "Found her half dead out in the Western Dead Zone. New Guardian. Nooooo Ghost."

Name raised his eyebrows in surprise. "No shit?"

"No shit."

Mara was drifting off, her eyelids fluttering.

"Is she…?" Haden trailed off.

"Yeah."

"Damn."

Bastien inserted another trip chip. "You okay there, Mara?"

She nodded twice. "Mhm."

Haden looked her over and turned to Bastien. "So a Guardian like that, and your bright idea is to get her drunk?"

Bastien gave him a soft shove. "Hey man, she insisted. I was just showing her the place. C'mon, Haden, _we_ used to hang here all the time. She's a friend now. Thought some _good_ memory-making was in order."

"Nah, I get ya, I do, but…"

Bastien cocked his head and leaned back. "Wasn't my idea. Promised I'd make sure she didn't drink too much."

"I drank a lot…" she muttered hazily.

Haden laughed a little bit.

"She's fine, she's not having any more."

"Aright, B, you know what's up." He took a final shot before sliding out of the booth and standing with a stretch. "Well, I don't want you to be all embarrassed while you babysit, so I'm outta here." Further down the aisle, was a group of Guardians waving him over. He nodded his head towards the bunch. "Just kidding. Came to see them, but running into you was nice. It's good to see you again, B."

Bastien couldn't help but chuckle, and they shook hands firmly. "I'll see you around, keep in touch, alright?"

Haden nodded, and took his hand to Mara's head, ruffling her hair a little. "And I'll be seeing you around, too." He winked at her.

Mara gave a half-asleep giggle. Haden walked backwards towards his buddies, mouthing the words 'get it' at Bastien, pointing at Mara and making a V shape with his index and middle fingers, waggling his tongue between them.

Bastien scowled. "Oh, fuck off."

Haden gave a final grin before joining his friends at their table.

Bastien sighed and ran his hand over his head. Mara yawned. "Wh… Who was that guy?" Or… Girl. I can't. Really tell."

"Friend of mine," Bastien replied. "Bit of a jerk, but he's a good guy underneath it all."

"Mmn," Mara hummed in acknowledgement. "Can I… Ask you. Ehm. Something?"

Bastien leaned forward. "Of course, Mara. What is it?"

She licked her lips, the alcohol really starting to get to her. "If… You're a robot?"

"I… am, I guess, technically." That one stung a little.

"Shh, shh, n-no. No." She uttered, shaking her head and bringing a hand up to place over his lips gently. "If you are a. Robot."

Bastien kept quiet.

"Can you love?"

Bastien continued his silence, blinking a few times. After a while, mulling over the question in his head she shrugged lightly. "I'm not sure." He whispered.

Mara's eyes were half open, and she mumbled something that he didn't understand.

"But I hope I can."

She wasn't gonna make it much longer, and Bastien decided that it was probably time to go. "Alright let's get you outta here. It's getting late."

She nodded. "Yup."

He took her hand and gently pulled her up. He let go for a second, and she wobbled. Nope, he was gonna have to help her out. So he placed her arm over his shoulder, and he waved his vault card over a sensor at the end of the table, authorizing a sum of glimmer to be transferred to the bar as payment. They made their way out of the bar, dodging glances and a few casual cheers from a group of guys. Quite annoying.

Eventually they had made their way back outside onto a large balcony, which they had to traverse before reaching the elevators to the Guardians' Quarter. Mara was getting worse at walking, and Bastien decided to just carry her the rest of the way. He was more than strong enough, it was almost like lifting a feather. In a moment they got into the elevator, and he called out to the computer to take them to the Quarters. The elevator moved at a decent pace, but it was still several minutes before it made the long trip up.

There was a male, Awoken Warlock also going up, who had been giving them strange looks. Bastien didn't say anything and kept mostly quiet.

Mara laughed lightly. She had her arm around his neck for support. "Are we on the elevator? This feels, uh. Not good." She muttered.

"Yup, we'll be back in just a minute though, don't you worry," he assured her.

Mara leaned her head up to give Bastien a kiss on the cheek. "Mhm, you're the boss, boss."

The Warlock snickered, and Bastien grinned at him nervously. "Little too much to drink, I'm afraid."

* * *

It was a bit of a walk until they were able to make their final way through the Tower, and into the Guardians' Quarter, which was essentially many floors dedicated to housing them. After a bit of a struggle getting her up a flight of stairs due to maintenance on an elevator they finally made it to his place. He wondered why the Tower didn't just invest in god damned transmat stations or something. _Fuck the couch,_ he thought. He at that point carried her over to his bed and laid her down gently. Her eyes were closed now and she sighed softly.

Bastien's room wasn't very different from the old hideout back in the dead zone. It was far cleaner though, just, again, cluttered. Weapons, books, tons of Golden Age artifacts, many of which he had still been unable to figure out what the hell they were. Even here, he kept food, especially now that Mara was going to be hanging around. There was an old guitar hung on the wall. It was missing a low E string, and had various words etched into the wood in a language that Bastien didn't understand. Ultimately, the place was cozy, and full of personality.

He sat at the edge of the bed, just watching her for a moment. Her words were still echoing in his mind. _Was_ he capable of love? Were his emotions nothing more than programming; false sensations that were the product of nothing more than chemical reactions simulated in an artificial environment?

The sadness in him now felt real enough, but he couldn't know if it truly was, if his _consciousness_ was real; if he had a 'soul.'

His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle tug on his wrist.

"Bastien," Mara whispered, leaning up and sitting next to him, on his left. He turned with a gentle, Exo smile. "Yeah?"

"I had… Fun." She grinned.

Bastien would have been unable to hold back a grin of his own if he had teeth, but he was relieved. They said alcohol brings the truth out from people.

"Glad you did." Was all he could say as she pulled her shirt over her head with the sole intention of comfort, preparing for bed. The alcohol had a small hand in to too, of course. Bastien eyed her virtually perfect curves, his eyes trailing over the cleavage of her large breasts, fitted nicely, if perhaps only a bit too tightly, into a simple, lacy, black bra. He then turned away shamefully.

It was shame that stemmed from not being sure if it was a legitimate sexual attraction, or merely programming to appreciate the human form.

As for the current situation, he had no intention of 'sleeping' with her. He never did. Even if he wanted to, it would prove difficult if not impossible. No, the Exo was looking for comfort and companionship. So he told himself. He thought.

Mara placed the shirt over Bastien's head playfully, and continued to undress, reaching back to unhook her bra and pulling it away. It took her a few tries to undo the buckle of her belt. Bastien pulled the shirt from his head and set it aside. In moments, she was in her underwear, kicked off her boots, and leaned over to rest her head on Bastien's shoulder. He put an arm around her, his hand gently rubbing her left arm.

Mara reached over, putting her hand on his chest and and pushed him onto the bed, and she crawled on top of him, slipping her arms around his waist and nuzzling her head into his neck. "I'm cold." She whispered.

Bastien would have swallowed nervously. "I'm… not really warm or anything, Mara."

She looked up at him. "You are to me." She held a hand to his cheek with a tiny smile, and he looked deep into her blue eyes. He wondered if she could see the emotion in his own artificial eyes the way he could see it in hers.

Bastien smiled. "Gimme a sec, then, sunshine."

He stood to remove his gear, which he normally wore at all times, and in a moment he was naked. His body wasn't too different in design from his face. There was a metal, skeletal structure within his frame, and covering it were mechanical and artificial parts, and plating. Truth to be told, his body looked more like an advanced suit of stealth armor, as opposed to the more robotic look of the Frames. The overall shape was that of a muscular male, and it was defined well. Despite being an inorganic body, the shape of it could be considered attractive.

Bastien rejoined Mara in his bed. She clinged to him tightly as he pulled the bed sheets over them, and slipped his arms around her waist. He placed a palm flat on the small of her back, rubbing gently. The sensors in his body communicated with his 'brain,' and sent it calculations that were an approximation of a sense of touch. It was nothing more than a sense of proximity, letting his hand and body know to stop moving, if necessary, when coming in contact with an object, or stopping him from crushing more delicate items in his iron grip. Still, he slid that palm gently up and down her freckled back, his fingertips desperate to feel her skin. He knew it was warm, like her body. But he wanted to feel it. He wanted to feel the texture of her skin against him. She let out a small groan of approval, and yawned.

"Bastien?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

There came no reply from Mara; she had fallen asleep before she could say more. Bastien felt strange. _An Exo trying to act like a human._ But he leaned his head down and pressed his cold lips to the top of her head and 'kissed' her goodnight. It wasn't unheard of. In fact, you could say it was common. But Bastien had always struggled with this. Being an Exo was difficult for him, and he wondered why most others didn't have the same issues with it he did. And most that did came to terms with it long ago. Bastien was a drifter.

In a sense, he knew he was real, and he could feel emotion. But he wanted to know those emotions were real. He was an Exo, but he wanted more. He wanted to know what it was like to be human. And in that moment, with her kind words and their bodies curled up together, he could almost swear he did.


	5. I Dreamt I Was An Architect

**I Dreamt I Was an Architect**

_The noble man stood._

_And the people looked to him. For he was a beacon - hope given form, yet still only a man. And within that truth there was great promise. If one man could stand against the night, then so too could anyone - everyone._

_In his strong hand the man held a rose. And his aura burned bright._

_When the man journeyed on, the people remembered. In his wake hope spread. But the man had a secret fear. His thoughts were dark. A sadness crept from the depths of his being. He had been a hero for so long, but pride had led him down sorrow's road._

_Slowly the shadows' whisper became a voice, a dark call, offering glories enough to make even the brightest Light wander. He knew he was fading, yet he still yearned._

_On his last day he sat and watched the sun fall. His final thoughts, pure of mind, if not body, held to a fleeting hope - though they would suffer for the man he would become, the people would remember him as he had been._

_And so the noble man hid himself beneath a darkness no flesh should touch, and gave up his mortal self to claim a new birthright. Whether this was choice, or destiny, is a truth known only to fate._

_In that cool evening air, as dusk was devoured by night, the noble man ceased to exist. In his place another stood._

_Same meat. Same bone. But so very different._

_The first and only of his family. The sole forbearer and last descendent of the name Yor._

_In his first moments as a new being, he looked down at his rose and realized for the first time that it held no petals: only the jagged purpose of angry thorns._

* * *

Haden Couler stood in the drop off bay of _The Eclipse, _his personal jumpship. It was a bit of an older Phaeton-class model. It was painted a drab military green with white combat stripes across either wing. The worn and chipped paint was a clear sign that it had been through many adventures with Haden. He cursed as he fiddled with the red dot scope of his Suros Regime auto rifle. The thing was old, an antique even, and you could almost say it was falling apart. Nevertheless, it packed a powerful punch, and had saved his life more times than he could remember. Finally the holographic display snapped to life and he grinned, giving the gun a light pat. "Attagirl," he muttered.

Haden was of Hispanic descent, or so he insisted. He'd studied what little information on old world culture there was and came to the conclusion himself. Some of his friends argued that he was descended from 'islanders,' but Haden would have none of that. He was a proud 'Latino' male. He was a tall, muscular man, with strong features on his face. His shoulders were wide and he was very well built. Granted, it was a pretty common body type among Titans; they were brawlers, tanks. When a gun failed, their physical power succeeded.

He looked out over the lunar landscape and stepped down off the ramp; his jumpship rising back into the air, soaring back to orbit. He was to meet with an old friend at these coordinates in the Mare Vaporum, a relatively untouched area of the moon that neither the mysterious Hive nor humanity had come to in any significant amount. He grumbled. Funny, he'd just returned from a mission the day before. All he wanted after getting back was a long night of drinking, hanging out, and maybe trying his luck with that pretty Awoken girl who worked at the post office. Alas, he was called to meet some old friends at a certain bar, and long story short? He was now here, digging his heels into the dusty, crater ridden surface of a broken moon.

At least the pay would be good.

Auron materialized beside him.

"Ready to get to work?"

The little Ghost shifted slightly. "Of course, Haden. Let's find your friend." He encrypted and opened a channel; with a specific unlock code, on his communication systems built into Haden's helmet. There was a beep, and Auron spun. "Channel open."

Haden nodded. "Ayla, this is Haden, do you copy? Over."

He set his rifle over his shoulder as he looked around. He was a good distance from an old lunar colony. A few days ago, Haden and Bastien's old fireteam partner had picked up a strange, faint transmission on a flyby of the moon. Having detected heavy Fallen activity after a deep scan, she met with Haden the night before at that old bar in North Tower, inviting him to scout the area.

There were three other Guardians joining them for the mission who had also been at the bar; Morin, a disgruntled Hunter, Kara, a spunky, yet somehow highly pessimistic Titan, and Elis-13, an Exo Hunter. They were scouting the other end of the area where the Fallen activity had been found, and they'd all eventually meet at a center point.

There was a brief crackle of static, and a voice came over his comm. _"Yeah, I hear ya, Haden, I was beginning to think you weren't even gonna show up,"_ the voice said casually. Hell, you could almost hear the smirk over the transmission.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Haden replied, cocking his head. "Where are you now?"

The comm crackled again, and the sound of an approaching engine echoed across the dunes. _"Heads up."_

A red and black Sparrow, the light and agile hover bikes Guardians used, came flying over a nearby dune and skidded to a clean stop a few feet from Haden. He smiled and waved as the Warlock dismounted her Sparrow, and walked over to him, a red Solas FR5 fusion rifle slung over her shoulder. Her robes were a dark maroon, and although long and elegant, complimented her form nicely. The sun was setting lazily over the Apenninus Mountains to the north, but was still just bright enough to cause discomfort on their eyes if they looked right at it. They both tapped their helmets, lifting the reflective layers of their visors to greet each other, their faces opposite the sunlight.

Ayla Zelvin was the Warlock that was once a part of Haden and Bastien's fireteam a couple years ago. While they hadn't interacted much lately, they had occasionally met up for some R&amp;R and patrol duty here and there. She had light brown eyes and flawless ebony skin. Her face was round and soft, but lean. She was a Voidwalker, specializing in the arcane arts of Void Light. This had always sort of crept Bastien out, but he'd never said anything. After all, he simply had his own crackpot theories and stories about renegade Warlocks. That, and he had had a pretty vicious sartorial struggle with her.

Ayla's Ghost appeared, giving a curt bob in the air, a nod, in greeting to Haden and Auron. "Hello, boys," it said, a soft, but serious feminine tone.

"Hello, Isaura."

"Hey."

Isaura projected a holographic map of the area, for them. "It's good to see you all again," she chimed, before turning to the hologram. "The colony that the Fallen are scrambling all over is not far from here, about a day's ride east until we get to the canyon, which we'll have to traverse on foot. Too many twists and turns for the Sparrows, but it's a short walk to the colony from there. We should be able to avoid any Fallen radar in the canyon as we approach. Good thing we landed at a distance, they've been picking up most of our drones the moment we come into the airspace. Setting waypoints for you both now."

Haden went to scratch the back of his neck, his hand stopping at his armor. _Damn._ "Sound's good. What's this here, though?" He said, pointing to a small blip about halfway from their current position to the canyon.

"Was getting to that, it's a small outpost, pretty well hidden. If we can restore power and the place is in good shape, we should be able to rest there before moving along," Ayla said.

"Well then, let's get going!" Isaura whirred enthusiastically, before disappearing.

Auron took a moment to summon Haden's Sparrow. It appeared before him, navy blue with white racing stripes. The paint was terribly scuffed and battered, though he liked it that way. Battle scars. Just like most of his gear. He tapped on his visor, bringing the reflective faceplate down again.

"Ok, let's saddle up."

Ayla brought her faceplate back as well and mounted her own Sparrow, revving the engine. "You wanna race?"

Haden beamed. "Just like old times."

With that, the two Sparrows fired their engines and roared across the lunar dunes. It was a straightforward trip, aside from the ups and downs of their Sparrows racing over dunes and dodging the occasional crater. The land was mostly flat in this area, which made their ride all the easier. Soon they came to the lunar outpost, Sparrows sliding to a stop just outside the building. It wasn't very big, about the size of a small house, and nestled into the base of a large ridge. They dismounted their bikes and readied their weapons.

"Auron, let's get a scan in," Haden ordered as he checked the ammo counter on his rifle.

The Ghost appeared. "Certainly. Scanning. No life signs detected... No movement."

"Good," Ayla added, relaxing her stance and flipping the safety back on to her fusion rifle.

"In fact, judging from the scan, it looks like no one was been around here for centuries. We should be safe. Generators detected, I'll have to take a closer look," Auron mused. "Give me a moment while I get this door open." With that, the Ghost went to work to hack the door.

Haden yawned, bringing his rifle over his shoulder. Ayla cocked an eyebrow behind her visor. "Oh, don't tell me you're worn out already." He shook his head. "Not tired, just could use some sleep."

Ayla summoned Isaura, and had her Sparrow returned to her jumpship. "You tellin' me there's a difference?" she asked, bringing her solar faceplate up, revealing her smirk. No doubt, wordlessly proud of having beaten Haden at their little race.

"Well, there sort of is." He chuckled.

"And here we go," Auron interrupted as the door made a mechanical whirr, sliding open. "I'll take point." The Ghost hovered into the dark room, doing another scan.

The two Guardians followed Auron in, weapons raised once more, just in case.

"Done. Looks good. We are as alone as alone can get here."

They relaxed.

"How about the generator, Auron?"

The Ghost bobbed and flew towards the back of the rom, blue beams of energy emitting from its 'eye' to the rusty old generator. "Let me work my magic."

In a few seconds, the generator's power light blinked on, and Auron spun. "It's good, let's just give it a sec to power up."

The generator growled back to life, the interior lights flickered, and the hum of air scrubbers started their work. In a few minutes, the outpost had sealed, and additional scans were run. Oxygen and pressure levels went green, and no traces of contaminants were detected.

Haden sighed as he unsealed his helmet and removed it, taking a deep breath. He grimaced. The air smelled strongly of oil and almost an old world substance called gasoline, though it was clean and safe, according to the scans. The scrubbers were old, but they did their job. Ayla removed her helmet as well, and they both took a seat on an old couch near a computer terminal.

"You only won by ten feet, Ayla, if I hadn't dipped in that crater I would have won," he said, reaching into his pack to fetch a large canteen of water and taking a long drink. Ayla had her own and sipped, rationing it carefully.

"Ha, it's always a crater, or a kick to the shin, or some pretty lady holding you back."

Haden smirked and shrugged. "Well what can I say I'm a handsome guy, aren't I?"

Ayla rolled her eyes and smiled. That, she couldn't deny. But he was silly as ever, and sometimes annoyed her.

"You wish. Anyhow, once we reach the colony, what do you think we'll find?"

Haden shrugged and leaned back, closing his eyes for a moment. "Nothing but a fat stack of glimmer or engrams, if we're lucky," he replied. "Nah. In all honesty, I don't know. The Fallen tend to stick to the Ocean of Storms. They must be looking for something else out here."

"Aren't they always…" Ayla sighed, taking another sip from her canteen. "Whatever they're doing we need to find out. The House of Exiles isn't as fanatical about Golden Age relics as the Devils, or hell, even Kings."

"I thought they might just be expanding their territory, but…" Haden followed her example and took another drink himself. "But it may not even be the Exiles."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Don't worry," Isaura chimed. "We'll find out soon enough. For now, Auron and I will keep our eyes peeled. You two need some rest."

"Thank you, Izzy." Ayla smiled.

"Any time!"

Auron shifted a nod of sorts. "We'll be around," it said, before the two Ghosts disappeared.

"Okay, well I'd say you've earned your nap after that beating I gave you."

Haden laughed, relaxing and slumping back on the couch. "Oh I'll nap soon enough," he said, casually, turning to face her. "I'm not _quite_ tired enough for it." He said with a twinkle in his eye. He had been rather fond of Ayla for a long time now. Oh, but it was fairly obvious. Bastien knew it, even Ayla knew. Especially Ayla. She wasn't exactly sure whether it was a genuine attraction to him- okay, maybe it was, but she did wonder if merely having gone 'all work-no play' had prompted her to indulge a little. After all, what the hell?

"Really? You heard Izzy, we need to rest up," she smirked.

Haden grinned. "Plenty of time for that. I don't think the Fallen will be going anywhere. They just got here, after all."

"Aren't you charming?"

"You've heard the legends."

Ayla's gaze turned a little more serious as she looked him over. "Rematch, then?"

"I'll win."

"We'll see."

They had a little bit of trouble getting out of their armors, Haden in particular. The task was made even more difficult by their rising desperation, but they managed to work it out. Finally, they were naked, and Haden pulled a comforter from his travel pack, laying it over the couch. He sat back, and she straddled his lap, her arms slipping around his neck. He reached up to grab her small breasts, kneading them gently as he leaned in to kiss over her neck. Ayla squirmed a little in his grasp as his hands worked, exploring every curve of her slender body.

"I guess you're not all that bad," she cooed.

Haden smiled, brushing his thumb across her cheek lightly. "Eh, only when I'm not trying to get into your robes."

She playfully smacked him on the chest before pressing her lips to his, kissing him deeply and excitedly. Her hand wandered below, gripping him. Soon, she moved down his chiseled body and had him in her mouth, loving the reactions she coaxed out of him.

The mighty Titan, Haden Couler, at her mercy.

_Hmph._

It wasn't too long after that that he had her bent over the couch, the poor, old piece of furniture creaking in protest. They were eventually spent and collapsed, panting and sweaty. He slipped his arms around her waist and softly kissed the back of her neck, feeling her body shudder gently in the afterglow.

"So," he started, out of breath. "Did I win?"

Ayla chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Oh, you did."

"All the good it'll do me," he mused.

She licked her lips and shook her head, dismissively.

Haden grinned, rubbing her back softly. "You never know."

Ayla yawned, the activity had left her tired, and now she felt her eyelids becoming heavy. "Remember, Haden, strictly recreational."

He smiled, leaning in to leave a trail of kisses on her neck. "Mnn, what, can't a guy be soft and romantic for fun?"

"I suppose, after all, you're Haden Couler: legendary ladies' man."

"Maybe. But, I do like _certain_ ladies a lot more than others."

She smiled, and together they drifted to sleep.

* * *

There was a faint hum of ships flying by in the distance from the city, going about their daily business. The quarter windows' blinds were pulled away, giving the room an exceptional view of the city in the distance.

Mara was in the bathroom, groaning as she looked at her face in the mirror. Her hair was a fucking disaster, and her eyes were a little puffy. She had woken up in the middle of the night, puked for the first time in her (new) life, and cried a little. Bastien had apologized and cleaned the half-drunk girl up, and settled her back into a freshly made bed. Now it was morning, and Bastien had left to see the Vanguard. Some important meeting or something; she wasn't sure. She sort of just skimmed the note he'd left her. She splashed water on her face and rubbed it, taking her new brush and working her hair back neatly.

Last night had been a bit of a blur. She couldn't remember much after the bar, only faint images here and there of them walking back to Bastien's place. And she hardly remembered the Titan they'd met in the bar. Harold was it? Or maybe Howard. Doesn't matter. What _did_ matter was that she remembered waking up for a short moment before the whole puking incident, practically naked, curled up in Bastien's arms. She didn't think much of it then- or if she did, she couldn't remember. But now, she felt all sorts of awkward. As much as she wanted to blame Bastien for her headache, and drunken shenanigans, he had indeed warned her how alcohol could affect her, so she pushed the anger to the back of her head. However, she did feel a little ashamed. Exactly how, she wasn't sure. Maybe she was just embarrassed for her actions. How would Bastien feel? And interactions like that: would they affect him? He couldn't have possibly taken advantage of her, right? Yet, a tiny part of her didn't care if he had. In fact, she had even had a dream: a warm campfire, a bed of roses and a thick comforter, the smell of flowers (or perfume?), and slightly cold, metallic hands cupping her bare breasts… _No, no, no. This is nonsense._ Mara splashed more water on her face. She blinked, looking at herself, watching the water drip and trail down her face. She sighed and pushed everything to the back of her mind once more.

_You should just stop thinking and be a machine of war, like the rest of them._

She rubbed her eyes and yawned stepping out into the main room in no more than a loose, white shirt and panties. She made her way to the kitchen and filled a glass of ice water, casually sipping on it as she sat back on the couch, kicking her legs up on the small table. She sighed. If what Bastien had said about her being a so-called anomaly was true, about being emotionally unstable and what have you, she wanted out. She was tired of thinking and worrying. The funny thing was, she reasoned that she didn't remember her old life, that it was something ancient and long forgotten; something that in the grand scheme of current things didn't matter. It was like worrying about the life of a totally different person, and she realized how ridiculous it was. Yet, she couldn't help but hate it, and hate herself for it.

_Alright, Mara. Let's take a walk._

About a half hour later, Mara had dressed warmly and gone up to the Tower Watch for a breath of fresh air. It was cold, and the skies were a murky, overcast grey. It might be raining soon. The Tower was fairly quiet right now. There was usually a bustle; Guardians returning from missions, civilian workers bringing supplies back and forth from the city, and diplomatic shuttles dropping off faction leaders to meet or council with the Speaker. She liked the quiet today. Coming out here did seem to help.

The Exo gunsmith, Banshee-44 was over at his shop, setting up for the day. He hunkered over the large counter, putting several guns and knives on their displays as Mara walked up to him.

The Exo looked up. "Morning, Guardian. Eh. You're up early, aren't ya?"

Mara nodded casually. "Yeah, just out for a walk."

Banshee grunted in acknowledgement softly, returning his attention to setting a handcannon on its display stand.

"I was wondering if you knew anything about this gun," Mara said, pulling her handcannon from her belt, holding it out to the Exo.

Banshee looked at the gun, then Mara, then the gun, and Mara once more, with what could pass as a cocked eyebrow. He shrugged his shoulders and resumed tinkering with one of the display stands. "Never seen that before. Tex Mechanica, though. They make good stuff."

Mara simply nodded, looking over his displayed stock. "No worries," she said. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Banshee replied, not looking up from the table as he set up an auto rifle.

There was a strange anxiety coursing through Mara's brain. A sense of urgency- not because mankind was pushed to a last city on earth, or because of the supposed impending doom of the Darkness, whatever the fuck that was, but an urgency she didn't understand. Like she was supposed to be looking for something, or someone. It made no difference. Whatever urgencies were left from her past life, locked away in some remote, and perhaps non-existent part of her brain no longer mattered. That world was long gone. So she walked to the edge of the Tower, her head turned up, looking at the sphere of the Traveler, hovering quietly above the city as it had for centuries.

"Oh, excuse me," a working frame muttered as it waddled by, sweeping with a broom. Mara nodded at it and politely stepped aside for a moment.

She leaned on the railing, taking a look down. It was a _long_ way down, and she could barely see the base of the Tower, thanks to a thick blanket of fog that was covering the ground.

Yawning, she pulled the handcannon that Bastien had let her keep from her belt, looking it over in her hands. It was a beautiful weapon, the metal a dark, blue-ish gray, with a polished, wooden handle, and intricate gold etchings along the sides. The top of the gun was golden, and equipped with holographic sights. In bold, sharp letters, the sides read _Tex Mechanica_, one of the many weapon manufacturers in the city. Was supposed to be one of the best. That she felt she could vouch for, the gun had saved her life already, and she was anxious to take it for a spin soon. She remembered she'd asked Bastien how he'd gotten such a unique looking handcannon. He had merely shrugged and said luck had given it to him. Of course, there was more to that. Mara assumed as much, but didn't really know.

"Nice day, huh?"

Mara gasped, nearly dropping the gun over the railing, but catching it before it could. She pulled it close to her chest, then slipped it back into her belt. Bastien had shown up beside her, a plastic cup with a rubber sleeve in his hand. There was a dark liquid in it, and smelled amazing.

"Heh. Hey. Yeah it's okay. A little gloomy."

He tilted his head and offered Mara the cup. "Most people think so. I personally like days like these. Here you go," Mara took the cup, looking into it.

"What's this?"

Bastien smiled. "Coffee, common breakfast drink. Helps wake ya up if you're sleepy."

She sniffed at it before taking a sip, and almost gagging. "Dear Light, what is this…"

Bastien opened a small tube he'd had in his other hand. "Oh, crap. Probably should've warned you. Here," He poured the tubes contents into the cup, and used the built in stir-stick to swirl it around. The liquid turned to a more friendly light brown. "Cream and sugar. There, give that a try."

Mara hesitated, but gave it a sip. And that was the beginning of an addiction. "Wow, okay, that is actually amazing," she said, taking another sip.

Bastien grinned. "Glad you like it." He gave her a moment to just enjoy it.

"So listen," he started. "I might be taking up another mission soon. Just got back from seeing the Vanguard, there's a lot of work to be done right now," he pulled a cigarette from a pocket and lit it, settling it between his metal lips. Mara gave him a curious look.

"Habit." He laughed, thinking how silly Mara must think he looked trying to smoke. "Anyhow, wanted to know if you'd be willing to take the next job with me. Figure you get bored being cooped up in this tower."

Mara took another sip of her coffee before nodding. "You've got that right. I feel trapped here. Well, I feel trapped everywhere- but that's…" She sighed and shook her head. "Just, yeah, definitely, I'd love to go with you."

Bastien nodded, looking over the city and pulling the cigarette from his lips, flicking it to shake off some ashes. "Awesome. In that case, I've got a few things planned out for us today."

Mara's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, really? Like what?"

"Well, figured if you were up for it, we could go down to the range, do a little target practice. I know you're good with that gun, but wanna make sure you're _really_ ready."

"What about the Crucible?"

Bastien chuckled. "I'm completely confident in your ability to deal death and destruction, Mara, but new Guardians don't train in the Crucible. Also, you don't have a Ghost. If you die, you die. Permanently."

Mara felt stupid forgetting that small detail. "Right. Still a bit sleepy. Ok, the range will do."

"Excellent," Bastien said, flicking the whole cigarette over the railing. "But first, how about some actual breakfast?"

Mara grinned. "You know how to tempt a lady."

They didn't waste time, and they'd returned to the bar from the night before. It was a bar by night, and by day, one of the best spots in the Tower for food, for several reasons. Interestingly enough, the place was fairly empty at this moment, save for a couple Guardians having breakfast, the cook (who tended the bar by night), and a lone maintenance Frame sweeping a corner.

They sat at a corner booth, and Mara decided to indulge in nostalgia, ordering a breakfast plate with scrambled eggs, sausage links, a couple pancakes and a few strips of bacon. Bastien had smiled a little. He had nothing, of course, but was glad to make sure Mara was eating normally. He recalled another Guardian he knew, who could barely eat anything after returning to life. Finally after five weeks he was able to stomach proper food. Haden continued to prefer the nutrient supplements since then.

Mara wiped her thin lips with a napkin, taking a small drink of coffee. "Mn, so Bastien, I've been meaning to ask you,"

Bastien's eyes lit up. "Yeah?"

"The gun you gave me."

"What about it?"

Mara licked her lips, looking away, embarrassed for a split second. Maybe it was all in her head. "Well, it's… pretty elegant. And handles like a dream. Something about it…" she trailed off, reaching back to pull the gun from her belt and set it down gently on the table, looking over it with admiration. Indeed it was a beautiful weapon.

Bastien rested his chin on his hands, elbows propped up on the table. "Mhm?"

"And it doesn't really look like any of the other handcannons I've seen around the Tower. I looked at Banshee's stock earlier. Nothing like it. And he just gave me an odd look when I showed him. Wouldn't say much more."

Bastien nodded. "There's probably a reason for that," he replied.

"That gun is legendary, you see. It belonged to the Hunter Shin Malphur. He dueled and killed another Guardian who fell into darkness, Dredgen Yor. Dredgen was a hero once. A just, passionate man. Unstoppable in the Crucible. People looked up to him. One day he just… changed. He went on to murder a whole bunch people and a few other Guardians. Finally, Shin stepped up to avenge those lives, and story has it that this," Bastien patted the handcannon lying on the table. "This is the gun he used to kill Dredgen. The Last Word."

"The Last Word?"

"Yep."

She wrinkled her brow. "Why is it called _that_?"

Bastien tilted his head and closed his eyes. "Well, the gun didn't always belong to Shin. Before, it belonged to another legendary Hunter, Jaren Ward. He was as heroic as they get, and immensely skilled. He came into the old town of Palamon, where he met a young Shin. For whatever reason, he ended up staying there."

Mara watched Bastien curiously as he told his tale.

"Now, in that town there was a man named Loken. This man slowly started to take control of the settlement, rising to a de-facto sort of power. Wasn't liked very much. Anyway, one day, Loken had nine other guns pulled on Jaren. My guess is Loken was jealous of the way the town had looked up to Jaren over time and admired him, while Loken was revealed to be more power hungry and corrupt. So there they were: Loken, Jaren, and nine of Loken's lackeys with guns aimed at Jaren's head, and the town gathered watching the whole spectacle. Shin was watching, too.

'This is our town! _My_ town!' Loken had shouted. He was going to make a show of Jaren, and teach the people of Palamon a lesson in obedience.

Jaren spoke: clear, calm. 'Not anymore.'

Loken laughed dismissively. He had nine guns on his side. 'Those gonna be your last words then, boy?'

The movement was a flash, quick as chain lightning. Jaren Ward spoke as he moved. 'Yours. Not mine.'

Smoke trailed from Jaren's revolver. Loken hit the ground, a dark hole in his forehead, eyes staring into eternity. Jaren stared down the nine guns trained on him. One by one, they lowered their aim."

Mara chewed on a piece of bacon thoughtfully, mulling over the details in her head. "What about Dredgen?"

Bastien chuckled, pleased with her curiosity. "Some time after that, on a cold night that Jaren lead the people of Palamon towards the City for a better life, they awoke to the sound of gunfire. Shin recognized the first few shots. It was Jared's gun. After that, there was another. A shot that sounded dark, menacing. Then there was silence. In the end, Jaren had been defeated and killed by none other than Dredgen. It's assumed that after that, Shin took up Jared's gun, and hunted down Dredgen, avenging Jared, whom had been like a father to him. Story has it Shin uttered 'Yours. Not mine.' back to Dredgen before killing him."

Mara whistled. "That's quite a tale."

Bastien shrugged and leaned back in the booth. "That it is. Might be greatly exaggerated. Lot of details have been lost to time."

Mara nodded, looking back at the gun.

"Still doesn't explain how you got a hold of it, though."

Bastien shrugged. "Well, I'll be honest with you. I don't really know either. I've just had it for as long as I can remember. Only way I know about its history is having looked into old records back in the day with Cayde, and confirmed its legitimacy by serial number. So it's legit. But I don't know how I came across it. Had I never been wiped, well, maybe I'd know."

"Wiped?" Mara asked.

"Yeah," he sighed. "An Exo, supposedly, can only hold enough information for a single lifetime. It's unspecified exactly how much that is, though. That, and our mind cores tend to get corrupt over time. Without a full reset, that is, erasing our memories, the mind core becomes permanently damaged and we die. Not even a Ghost can bring back that data completely."

Mara felt her stomach sink.

"Don't worry, it's usually a long while before a wipe is really needed."

She swallowed nervously. She didn't say anything, but she'd find a way to stop this from ever happening to him again. She swore it.

"I won't… press on the matter, then Bastien. But back to what we were taking about, why would you just give me a gun like that?"

Bastien leaned back in his seat and lit a cigarette. "You're different. You have potential. I may not know you very well just yet, and neither do you for that matter, but I have a feeling. And those feelings haven't let me down in the past. You are worthy." He grinned. "And besides, handcannons aren't really my thing."

"Well, thank you, Bastien. I'll take good care of it."

"Ah, don't mention it. Just stay alive for me, yeah?"

By noon, they had spent several hours at the range, shooting and practicing with various different weapon types. As it turns out, Mara was a crackshot. She had done best with handcannons, and scout rifles came in at a close second; fitting for a Hunter. She had even spent time practicing with her handcannon, fan firing the gun, obliterating several targets in a matter of seconds, and putting it back in its holster with a twirl.

Bastien was impressed; he knew she was ready to be a Guardian. He smiled to himself, watching her elegantly handle the exotic weapon like a master, as if she had been wielding it her entire life.

Wether this was the true Last Word or not, he couldn't think of anyone better to take the weapon's mantle.

* * *

"Yup, I see him. Almost…"

Haden put a tiny bit of pressure on the trigger of his LDR 5001 sniper rifle. The scope was linked to his visor display, and he had a Fallen Captain in his sights.

"What are you waiting for, Haden, shoot him!"

_Crack._

The arc round flew true through the canyon and tore into the Captain's shield like it wasn't even there, and into its skull, that familiar and satisfying hiss echoing as the alien's body slumped to the ground. Blood spattered the Lunar dust.

Ayla sighed, getting out of cover from behind a boulder. Around her were the bodies of seventeen Fallen troops. They wore green armor. The House of Exiles was indeed involved.

"Okay that's the last of them," Ayla grunted, reloading her fusion rifle.

"Roger, on my way."

They had set out a few hours after they had arrived at the outpost, and made their way quickly through the twists and turns of the canyon, when they ran into this Fallen patrol. Not far along the canyon spilled out into a more open area, a valley, surrounded by high Lunar ridges, where the ruins of the small colony lay. They were closing in.

"Come on, it's right over this ridge," Ayla said as Haden caught up with her. The pair of Guardians made their way up and crouched at the apex, looking over the valley. Below, in the distance, were several lights placed in a circular pattern, with various unnatural stone formations scattered across the entire valley. There was something else in the center, though. A little too far for the naked eye.

"Looks like a dig site," Ayla muttered.

"Yeah. Taking a closer look."

Haden zoomed his sniper rifle to maximum magnification, examining the site carefully.

"What do you see?"

He groaned. "Ehhh. Fallen machinery. A _lot_ of Dregs. One Captain, a big one. Think it's a Baron, actually. And…" He paused, motionless for a good moment.

"What?"

Haden scowled behind his visor. "…the hell is that?" He handed the rifle to pointing. "There, just to the right of those Pikes."

Ayla squinted, looking through the scope. There was a small pillar, made of some dark metal, with strange etchings across its surface. And on top, was a bright, green, glowing sphere.

"Some sort of orb…" she grumbled.

"That pillar though, looks like Hive architecture?"

"You're right, this could be big." Ayla checked her fusion rifle, and the handcannon at her side. All loaded and ready to go.

"So what's our next move?"

Ayla smiled. "Kill the Fallen, find out what the hell they just dug up."

"Sounds like fun."

A handful of Dregs and a Fallen Baron were going to be a cakewalk. They summoned their Ghosts, retrieved their Sparrows, and raced down the ridge towards the dig site. The aliens chittered and barked orders at each other, scrambling for cover and readying weapons of their own. The Guardians got in close, and leaped of their Sparrows, guns blazing. Haden fired his Suros Regime, the almost electronic _rat-tat-tat_ echoing through the enormous crater. Several Dregs fell, and the Baron roared in protest.

"Keep on the Dregs, let's mop em up!" Ayla shouted, her handcannon drawn and firing heavy rounds into the Dregs, who were now advancing on their position. One by one they fell, until it was obvious the Baron wasn't having their shit. It roared again as an arc shield engulfed it, and it charged at the Guardians.

"Suppress!"

The Baron fired its wire rifle, streaks of electric fire whizzing past Haden's head as he sidestepped, backpedaling from the advancing alien. Haden unloaded a full mag into the Baron's shields. The rounds crackled and peppered off of it. It was working, though all too slow. The Baron was now close and swiped at Haden with a sword. Haden rolled and fired another burst at the Baron, staggering it for a moment. Then came several flurries of the alien's swords. Ayla all the while helped weaken its shields with her handcannon. It was apparent they needed a little something more. She unslung her fusion rifle and swapped out her mag for an arc energy cell.

"Any second now!" Haden called out as he continued to dodge attacks.

"I've got ya," Ayla replied as she squeezed her trigger. The rifle groaned and lit up as its energy surged through the barrel to its tip, before firing bursts of pure arc destruction. The rounds blasted across the Baron's shields. It held up its arms in defense. The shield sputtered and faded. The Baron punched Haden, whom was sent skidding back onto his ass. It then turned to Ayla in rage and swiped one of its arms, knocking her over her chest and sending her flying. She tumbled across the Lunar surface. Haden took the opportunity and slapped a fresh mag into his rifle, firing full auto at the alien. It charged as the rounds tore at its chest, first chipping away its armor, until finally they met flesh. The Baron was determined, and managed to continue towards Haden. He crawled backwards as he continued to fire.

The Baron was only a couple feet from Haden when finally the bullets tore through its spinal cord, ending its life in a disgusting gurgle as alien blood oozed from its mouth and the extensive wounds in its belly. It slumped forward and slammed into the ground, kicking up a small cloud of Lunar sand.

Haden laughed, and got up, quickly turning over to Ayla, whom interestingly enough was sitting casually on a boulder, with Isaura floating above her shoulder.

He scowled, though more playfully. "Just sitting it out?"

Ayla grinned. "I just died; I think I did my part."

Sure enough, there was a streak of blood on a large patch of jagged rock where Ayla's body had tumbled over after being flung by the Baron's attack.

"I'll be damned…" Haden muttered, catching his breath.

Auron appeared. "See, Haden? You do need us."

He laughed. "That's just an old joke."

Ayla hopped off the rock and made her way over to Haden, giving him a pat on the back. "Nice work, took down a Baron."

He grinned. "Easy glimmer. Couldn't have done it without you, though."

Ayla smiled. Now there was the case of this mysterious orb. The two Guardians approached the pillar cautiously, with their Ghosts leading the way.

Auron tilted curiously on its axis. "One second, Guardians. Let's see if we can find out what this thing is."

Both Auron and Isuara scanned the object, while Haden looked around for any further signs of Fallen activity. All quiet.

"Interesting. Readings suggest the orb is disrupting space-time around it," Auron chimed.

Ayla slung her fusion rifle over her shoulder, rubbing her arm. The 'resurrection' always had her feeling a little sore. "Isn't that bad?"

"Yes and no," Isaura answered. "The readings are here, but it's like they're coming from somewhere else. This might be some sort of teleportation device. Odd, there are no specified quantum channel connections, but there is a small sign of qubits and particles moving through. This doesn't make any sense. It could possibly be some sort of weapon with space-time warping attributes."

Haden sighed. "What should we do? This is clearly what the Fallen were after."

Auron shifted. "We contact the Vanguard and let them know what we just found."

"We don't even really know what it is," Ayla said.

Isaura hovered back over to Ayla's shoulder. "True, we contact the Vanguard, and just let them know that we need this looked into."

"Alright, Izzie, open a long range channel to the Tower"

"Right away, Ayla." There was a whir and beep from the Ghost, and then a green light on her heads-up-display. "Channel open, were good."

"Tower Vanguard this is Guardian Ayla Zelvin reporting in."

The channel crackled before a voice was heard. _"Ayla, this is Ikora Rey, go ahead"_

"We've uncovered an unknown artifact on Luna, an orb of some kind, the Fallen were busy digging it up. We don't know what it is or what it does. Ghosts can't figure it out either. All we can tell is that it's disrupting space-time around it."

_"Proceed with caution, Guardian, send us your coordinates and the Ghosts' scans; we'll send a retrieval unit up. Whatever it is, we can't let the Fallen have it. You are to stay on station and guard the area until our team can arrive. Good work, keep us posted, and good luck out there."_

"Copy, Tower. We'll hold down the fort 'til they arrive."

Haden had his back turned to the orb, looking up along the far ridge. He thought he had seen something, but it may have just been a small meteorite kicking up a tiny puff of dust.

"You heard, Haden let's keep watch."

Haden nodded, his attention seemingly elsewhere. "Yeah, I'm on that."

Ayla scoffed and looked around, walking up beside him. "What's the matter, you see something?"

At that moment, a trio of Sparrows flew over and raced down the ridge, approaching them. Haden grinned. "Finally."

The Sparrows arrived, and the three other Guardians dismounted, making their way over the sand to Haden and Ayla.

Morin, Kara, and Elis-13, a few other Guardians that Haden and Ayla had met awhile back and ran several missions with. It was nice to see friendly old faces again.

"About fuckin' time," Haden laughed approaching Morin. "You're a bit late to the party, cleaned out those Fallen all on our own."

Morin was an Awoken, his skin a pale grey, with eyes of glowing yellow. His head was shaved. "So it would seem," he said calmly and devoid of emotion. The other two Guardians were stoic.

Ayla raised a brow and looked at the newcomers. "What aren't you happy to see us?"

The Guardians said nothing.

Haden's smile left his face as he examined theirs carefully. There was nothing. "Guys?"

Kara stepped forward. "Oh we're happy, alright. Now we don't have to deal with the Fallen."

Elis-13 crossed her arms and nodded. "But we've still got to deal with you."

Guns were drawn and fired.

Guardians rolled to what little cover was available. Haden took a hit in the shoulder, right between the shoulder pad and chest armor, and Ayla received a round to the leg. Painkillers were injected via their armors' nervous system link and they fought their old friends.

The battle was over quickly; Kara and Elis-13 were struck dead, their Ghosts nowhere to be found, and Morin managed to hop back on his Sparrow and flee.

Haden yelled and summoned his own Sparrow to give chase, but Ayla intervened. "Stop! Let him go," she groaned, wincing at the pain in her leg. "We need to protect the orb."

Haden cursed, falling to his knees before his fallen comrades. He hung his head. "Why…"

Ayla was just as shocked as he was, but remained more calm. "I don't know Haden, but we've just come across something huge. We can't let whatever this is fall into the wrong hands. We're knee deep in the smelliest shit I've ever had the misfortune of smelling."

Haden sighed. "Where are their Ghosts?"

Auron appeared and scanned the area.

"There are no other Ghosts. And as for them," the little machine scanned the bodies, its eye blinking in surprise, then turning to Haden. "They are devoid of light. They can't be revived."

Ayla leaned over, looking at the bodies. "How is this possible?"

Auron's face would have been grim, had he had human features.

"Unknown. But the Vanguard needs to know about this. Opening a channel."

* * *

The sun had set several hours ago.

The city was as calm as any other night, the faint hum of airships and nighttime activity near the heart of the city. But the farther you went from the center, the darker things got. For all the power of the Traveler and the Light, poverty and crime were things that could not be avoided when you crammed millions of people into a single mega city.

The faint moonlight shined over an old, oak desk. The wood was chipped and scratched, the sort of rugged look you'd expect to see on furniture handed down between a few generations. On the desk were ancient maps, some knives, and various pieces of technology. Off to the side, a gun. The man sat back in a leather chair, muddy boots kicked up onto the desk. His face was shrouded in shadow, as the beam of moonlight was cut off at around his chest. He poured a glass of liquor, bringing it up to his lips, and stopping to smell it. Perfect. He threw back the sharp liquid, exhaling softly.

There was a quick, patterned knock at a metallic door. The man pressed a button, and the door slid open, as another man walked in.

"They have taken the orb, the Vanguard." Morin said as he walked into the small office, his voice almost a raspy whisper.

The man was silent for a while, until he spoke. His voice was deep, but sharp. A voice you might attribute to an old war veteran.

"Yeah? Thought you were supposed to retrieve it."

"We caught them by surprise, but… Elis and Kara fell; I couldn't fight the two Guardians on my own. I would have died."

"Shame you didn't." The man sighed.

"Sir?"

"I wonder, then, what use you are to me?"

Morin raised his hands in defense. "I can get the orb. I just need more ti-"

"_Time _was of the essence," the man said sharply, his voice now heavy and louder. "No, you won't repeat your mistakes."

"Sir, I only-"

In a flash, the man had the gun in his hand and fired.

Morin's blood spattered the elegant, yet crumbling wallpaper behind him, as his body fell back and slid down the wall. There was no Ghost to revive poor Morin, and even if there was, it would have made no difference. His Light was consumed.

"Loose ends and all," the man muttered.

There was a moment of silence, save for the sound of Golden Age classical music playing quietly from a record player on a small table in the corner. The man closed his eyes, setting the gun ever so gently back down on his desk, taking the glass of whiskey and throwing it back past his lips as his free hand waved back and forth slowly to the tune of the music.

An almost perfect, little moment, had it not been for the rogue Guardians' failure.

The blonde, curly-haired woman that had been standing in the corner crossed her arms and looked at the man. "What do we do now?"

The man clicked his tongue, leaning back in the chair and looking at the ceiling.

"They've got the orb. Now? We wait."


	6. Little Heartaches

**Little Heartaches**

_The girl stood at the end of the pier._

_The sea was calm, more so than she had ever seen it in her life. The sky was dark, with pinpricks of faint sunlight shining through the gaps in the clouded canopy. She closed her eyes and breathed in the ocean air, felt it fill her lungs. Her heart beat in her chest, and she knew she was alive. There was no storm coming, but the wind was… decent? In the distance, a boat floated lazily across the water._

_A strong hand touched her shoulder and gripped it softly, but firmly. A loving hand that would never let her go._

_The girl looked up with tears in her eyes. "Why did she have to die?"_

_The father shook his head ever so slightly, his eyes trailing over the horizon. A silence that felt longer than eternity itself followed, until finally he spoke._

_"Death comes to us all one day or another. It came for her sooner than it should have. But she faced it without fear. She fought until the very end. For you."_

* * *

Mara sat hunched over, resting her forearms over her knees. The cold air whistled silently through winter pines in the valley below, and the bright morning sun warmed her face. She was still tired, and felt she could maybe do with a couple more hours of sleep. She sniffled, wiping a tear from her eye with a finger, pulling the corner of her mouth back into a half-grimace, almost as if embarrassed with herself. She looked up from the scribbles she'd made in the snow with a twig, her eyes reaching over to the mountain range in the distance. She had learned to cope with the dreams. A part of her suspected they were memories, but there was no way to truly know anymore.

Little heartaches, every other morning.

She couldn't help but wonder what made her so different. Why the other Guardians, as far as she could tell, seemed to care less about their past - who they once may have been. Or maybe they all did, and were far too worried about the present and the future to be bothered. She reached for her canteen, the temperature sensors translating through her armored hands that it was very cold. She unsnapped the cap and took a drink, her teeth chattering slightly from the water's own temperature. Despite the environment, she had managed to work up a sweat, bundled up in her thick cloak. She fancied scarves and short cloaks usually – the longer stuff got in the way and used to get her caught on bushes, debris, even got grabbed by a Fallen Archon and flung through the air. Spent a few weeks in the medical wing. But she prepared accordingly for this mission.

It had been about five months since the incident on the moon with Haden and Ayla. They had shared their story with Mara and Bastien, much to the Consensus' dismay, but it was kept under wraps from the general public of Guardians. The City's R&amp;D division had taken the orb to an isolated outpost near Twilight Gap. Rumor had it that other mysterious artifacts and Golden Age technologies were kept and studied there. Neither they nor the Vanguard had heard any news or results of the mysterious orb's study since then.

Mara couldn't help but feel like they were locking away a time bomb.

Since then, she and Bastien had gone on several missions together, the majority scouting missions and asset retrieval from Hive-occupied territories on Earth. After a fireteam of Guardians braved the depths of the Hellmouth on the moon and slew Crota, the supposed son of a god in the Hive's pantheon, the Hive presence had deteriorated, and they returned to dealing with petty missions for the City. Soon after, the Fallen House of Wolves had revolted against the Queen of the Reef. It wasn't long before the Queen, Mara Sov, placed bounties on the Wolves' heads, and Guardians hunted them down across the system for treasure, and to claim her favor.

Now, they were in the middle of a new war. One that didn't last very long, at that. The hive 'god', Oryx had entered the system, bringing his dreaded Taken army along. He was promptly defeated by the same group of Guardians who killed his son, Crota. Some would call it irony. Now, Mara and Bastien were part of a large group of highly skilled Guardians sent to various locations across the system, mopping up the last of the Taken threat.

Their bond was closer than before, and they functioned almost as a single entity; their movements fluid and united. Mara mostly hated sitting around, and spent a good chunk of her free time practicing at the range or competing in the Crucible, a vigorous training tournament that pitted Guardians against each other. Bastien joined her usually. They were nearly unstoppable, and Mara had earned better gear since then, though she kept The Last Word on hand at all times. Not so much because of its alleged history, or even its excellent performance, but merely because Bastien had given it to her.

Her appearance had changed a little bit as well. Her body had retained its impressive curvature, full in all the places it mattered; but she was leaner, and her muscles were more defined. She sported a couple scars on her face and body from all the battles she'd gotten away from without dying. She couldn't afford to.

On that note, there were some who were petitioning to ban her from the Crucible, arguing that her lack of a Ghost was an advantage; that most Guardians would hesitate to kill her, as she could not be revived. This wasn't entirely far from the truth, to be honest. Not always the case, but occasionally she'd find herself face to face with a Guardian who knew of her, and hesitated to pull the trigger of a shotgun or bury their blade into her throat when they had a perfectly good chance to. It didn't win them any affection. Some criticized her tactics, which consisted mostly of stealth and other maneuvers many might consider "cheap." Lord Shaxx, the Crucible Master, kept quiet on the matter, though he had grown to admire and respect her deeply for her courage and true fearlessness looking into the eye of a permanent death.

He still called her a 'kinderguardian,' from time to time, though.

She'd had gotten a haircut, too. It was now short and cropped, barely reaching her shoulders. A bob of sorts, with her bangs cut horizontally over her eyes. Bastien liked it, though he missed her beautiful, long, flowing hair. Not that he ever mentioned it.

Bastien sat on a small boulder nearby, loading rounds into mags for his (fairly) new Saigon-LR4 sniper rifle. It had a small sticker of a cartoon, winking Exo and a thumbs-up on the inside of the lens cap.

Mara shoved her thoughts and feelings back down and stood with a stretch, adjusting the strap that carried her shotgun. "Alright B, we good to go?"

Bastien nodded as he sunk the last round into the cartridge and smacked it into place on his rifle. "Oh yeah," he said as he chambered the first round. "Gonna hunt us some Taken today."

Mara nodded, and the two began the trip to the bunker.

A couple days ago, the City had lost contact with the old research bunker near the Twilight Gap. The same place the artifact found on the moon was moved to for study. The Vanguard arranged an investigation. Probes were sent to scout ahead, and returned the news that Taken, Oryx's troops consisting of various alien races that have been ripped from our dimension and brought back with formidable power and abilities, had overrun the place. And so, a team was sent in to make things right. The team consisted of Mara, Bastien, Haden Couler and Ayla Zelvin. They all had a connection to each other in some shape or form, so they'd have each other's backs. And despite their occasional differences, they worked well together, and were virtually unstoppable.

Haden and Ayla had scouted ahead, and were already on a ridge just off the side of the bunker. Comm chatter was kept to a minimum, and they communicated with text on their heads up displays.

The bunker was only a few miles from their landing site, tucked into a narrow, but large canyon with waterfalls streaming from various parts above, down into a long lake. The old tunnel that cut through the rock and twisted its way through into the canyon had since caved in, leaving the Guardians little choice than to ditch their sparrows and make the descent the hard way. Normally, they would have used transmat to get down, but the Taken presence in the area was playing hell with their equipment.

And so the two Guardians found themselves rappelling down the canyon wall, just to the side of one of the waterfalls for cover. Mara groaned as her foot hit an outcropped rock. She shook it off and continued. After a minute, they stopped for a moment, and Bastien pulled out binoculars, looking down the canyon at the bunker entrance.

"Huh. Looks clear from here, but those Captains are definitely around."

There were traces of 'interdimensional goo' around the large, metal gate, though the Captains themselves were out of sight.

Mara took her canteen from her side and took a sip. "Maybe we should draw 'em out?"

Bastien nodded. "I think we should."

With that, he reached into his satchel, and pulled out a small, oval-shaped device. He twisted it, and there was a small beep. It hummed and floated in the air, and with a small push, the little machine floated quickly down the waterfall, over the surface of the water, and loitered near the entrance.

In the distance, Haden gave Bastien a thumbs up, and he and Ayla readied their own weapons.

The two Guardians fastened their ropes and pulled their sniper rifles out, equipped with unusually large magazines.

"All set, sunshine?"

Mara grinned. "All set."

With that, Bastien pressed a button on the side of his sniper scope, and in the distance, the little machine began to flash a rather bright LED, and make a very annoying, waling sound.

As expected, spheres of dark energy appeared near the bunker, and the Captains emerged with corrupt battle cries to see what the racket was.

Didn't do them any favors, as the Guardians fired their rifles mercilessly, and within a matter of seconds, the Taken were blasted to oblivion. Their rifles beeped, a warning of overheating. Mara wished she had an Icebreaker, a rare, coveted, prototype sniper rifle that regenerated ammunition as it cooled down, effectively granting the wielder virtually unlimited firepower. Though, being an abandoned prototype had its flaws: the rifle had a reputation of having its heatsinks malfunction and overload, triggering an explosion within the weapons solar reactor, killing the user instantly.

They waited a few minutes, and no more Taken arrived to the area. Satisfied, the Guardians made their way down and sealed their suits, swimming across the lake to the shore, their boots crunching in the gravel as they emerged, rifles at the ready like old World War II soldiers on the long-forgotten invasion of Normandy.

However, unlike Normandy, they were met with nothing but the quiet echo of the waterfalls in the canyon. Still cautious, Bastien sent out Deacon for a scan as Haden and Ayla leapt down from the ridge and made their way over.

"Alright buddy, what do you got?"

The Ghost whirred and floated in place as it sent a pulse scan through the area. "We're all clear on the outside, but there's definitely Taken activity on the inside. About twenty targets, give or take."

Haden and Ayla reached them, and they greeted each other.

"Bastien, my man, been a good while." They shook hands.

"I was hoping it'd be longer," Bastien smirked.

They laughed.

"So you boys got a plan?" Ayla chimed in, setting her fusion rifle over her shoulder.

Mara cracked her knuckles and cocked her head. "We go in."

Deacon bobbed slightly, a nod. "In simpler terms, yes. My analysis shows the bunker is actually quite large, and goes down for about a mile underground. This research station had been active for a long while. Who knows what we'll find down there. Keep your eyes peeled, I'm opening the door."

They stood on either side of the wide, titanium door, which whirred to life and rose vertically. It was dark inside and they approached cautiously. Deacon lit his 'eye,' shining inside. It almost looked like an old garage, though spattered with more Taken goo.

"Got point," Bastien said and made his way in. Mara and the others followed, checking corners. They were clear, though there was a corridor that led deeper into the bunker at an acute descent. They made their way in further, keeping quiet. It was an uncomfortable silence, as usually the Taken would have rushed them by now.

"I swear, if anyone says 'I've got a bad feeling about this,'" Deacon chimed quietly.

Bastien chuckled. "We're fine."

Finally, the corridor spilled into a larger room, with four large pillars dotting every corner. In the center was a lone terminal on a raised, circular platform, with old, near-failing lights flickering above it. There were no other doors or paths to anywhere else.

"Don't let your guard down, they're still here."

Mara nodded. "Not much here. I'll bet that platform gets us deeper somehow."

"Likely." Bastien sighed as his eyes darted from corner to corner, looking for a trace of activity. "Deacon, take a look at this terminal for me, yeah?"

The Ghost floated over and began. "Scanning. And here we are. That wasn't so difficult, thanks to Zavala providing me with these codes…"

A light blinked green above the platform, and a railing came up around the circle of it.

"Hop on, ladies, we're going down," Haden said as he hopped over the railing and stood on the platform. The rest followed suit, and the platform hummed deeply, and began to sink into the ground, taking them deeper into the bunker.

"You know," Ayla called over the rumble of the elevator. "You would think for a place like this with so many secrets, the Taken would be guarding it a little better."

"That's what I'm worried about," Mara replied.

The platform descended a little faster, and rings of light swept by them, indicating their descent, floor by floor.

Deacon materialized again. "Very well, the vault- where they keep most of the artifacts like your moon orb, is at the very bottom. We're almost there."

Finally, the platform came to a slow stop, and the Guardians raised their weapons at the wide door. Deacon unlocked it, and the doors slid apart, revealing a faint, orange glow beyond. "Scans show it's clear, but keep your weapons ready."

They all acknowledged and made their way in carefully. To the left and right of them were rows upon rows of cylindrical vaults on the walls, all marked with a serial number, and each with its own small terminal panel.

Deacon ran through the database, going through records and inventory. "This place is a goldmine. Weapons research, prototype teleportation technology , volumes upon volumes of pre-golden age information- encrypted schematics for nuclear weaponry, from before the collapse. Bombs powerful enough to crack a planet open, literally. And here we are, Hive artifacts recovered throughout the years."

He placed a marker above a slightly larger vault, where the orb was kept.

"Heck, what else do you think they keep in here?" Bastien whispered.

"Your bravery?" Haden snickered.

"Cut the chatter." Ayla said, taking point as they approached the vault, though it was open- and spattered with the Taken slime.

Ayla summoned Isaura, and the little, pink ghost performed a scan. "This is it," she whizzed. "This is where they were keeping the orb, but it's gone."

Mara sighed. "Great. Now what?"

"Now, the universe can begin anew."

The voice called out through the dark of the room, and footsteps were heard approaching. The fireteam swiveled and raised their guns.

A man stepped out of the shadows, with the very orb they were searching for in hand. His face was hooded and concealed, but under that hood, eyes glowed green and stared back at them. He wore the armor of a Hunter, though it was dark, and black. Dirty, jagged. As if fashioned from the bones of Hive. He spoke, his voice dry, but determined.

"Ah, warriors of the Light. Welcome."

With a wave of his hand, spheres of blackened energy appeared and hordes of Taken stepped through the portals, lining up behind the man.

"Who are you?" Mara called out.

The man held a hand up, as if commanding the Taken to hold their fire, while a little smirk raised the corner of his mouth. "Who I am doesn't matter, however what I am is what you should be more concerned with."

Haden shook his head and aimed his rifle at the stranger's head. "I'm not one for small talk in situations like these, so talk straight and I won't blow a hole in your head."

The man laughed. "Titans." He started, pacing around them slowly, unphased by their drawn weapons. "Always so bold. So naive." He said solemnly. "You can imagine how surprised I was when I heard a Titan and his pet Warlock had taken out some of my best men up on Luna."

Ayla scowled. "You? You… What did you do to Elis, Morin, and Kara?"

The man looked almost insulted. "Me? You'd be surprised what a bit of glimmer can do to a person."

"They would never," Haden spat.

"Wouldn't they?" the man whispered pulling a handcannon from his belt.

"We _will_ shoot. Put it down." Bastien snapped. The other Guardians had their weapons fixed on his forehead as well.

"Why don't we just shoot him already?" Mara said.

"Relax." The man said, looking over his gun affectionately. "I've no intention to kill any of you, but I will if you test me. Let's have a civil little chat."

He continued to pace, gun in hand, fingers caressing it delicately. It was black as the night itself. Sharp, jagged. And it pulsed with green, dark energy, ever so faintly, but it was slim. Almost as if it was incomplete, or missing critical components.

"You were wondering what this is all about, then, well, I'll tell ya." He sighed, and looked at the orb in his hand. "Toland was wise to want to learn the secrets of the Darkness. But he was a coward. A man lost in his idealism. A man of the Light can't hope to wield the Dark. And it is oh so very hungry."

"Get to the point."

"Point is that this little thing here would have gone to waste, locked up in this old bunker. And I want it for myself, frankly. So, since you came all the way out here to stop me, I'll just cut the four of you a deal, yeah?"

"Never." Haden said.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Didn't say I was giving you a choice."

The Guardians opened fire, but in a flash, the man raised his palm, a field of dark energy appearing before him, absorbing their rounds like they were nothing. He roared and pushed his hand out further, sending a shockwave through the room, blasting the Guardians on their asses. The hordes of Taken closed in and took their weapons, surrounding them all while the man's forcefield became tendrils of Darkness that held the Guardians in place.

"Told you not to test me."

He walked around the group of Guardians, his dark weapon going from head to head. "Eeny, meeny, miny-" he came to Mara. "Oh?"

She practically growled at him.

"Oh, what do we have here?" He crouched down to her level, unsealing her helmet and pulling it off, tossing it to the floor. He grabbed her chin roughly and turned her head side to side for a better look. "So beautiful. And more importantly, so full of light." The man leaned in and put his face to hers, inhaling deeply.

"You'll do just fine." He said, aiming the gun to her forehead.

"No! No, don't you fucking touch her!" Bastien yelled.

"Shut up." The man said, and turned back to Mara.

"Been looking for those like you. Need to get stronger. Must be my lucky day." He pulled back the hammer of his canon, savoring that little moment before snuffing the Light from a victim.

"No!"

There was a flash, and a bang. Smoke trailed from the barrel if his gun.

Mara was alive, but the cannon was aimed to her right. Ayla lay dead, the last traces of her Light fading into the dark weapon, and it glowed brighter.

"You bastard! I'll fucking kill you!" Haden cried, struggling against the Darkness keeping him in place. Tears ran down his cheeks.

Isaura materialized and frantically began a revive attempt. But the Darkness was strong, and she was struggling to bring back her dear friend, despite her Light being consumed. The man snatched the Ghost out of the air and gripped it tight.

"Little appetizer." The man said, to Isaura, and squeezed. Isaura let off a sound of despair before her eye flickered and finally faded for eternity as the man crushed the Ghost beyond repair. He moved the gun back to Mara's forehead. "No hard feelings."

She trembled, not in fear, but in anger.

He pressed the barrel against her forehead. "Ever have a nightmare?"

Mara blinked. "W-what?"

"I know you have. Oh, I know _you_ have."

"Get that fucking gun away from her!" Bastien growled.

The man ignored him.

"In this world? Can't help but."

"Are you listening to me?" Bastien called.

"What is it with you Guardians? Your mouths just got your friend here dead. So." He turned back to Mara.

"You're not afraid. I'll make you."

"You really won't."

"No?"

"No."

"We'll see." The man stopped, noticing the grip of Mara's handcannon. His face went pale. He then curled his hand into a fist and slammed it into Mara's face over and over again. Bastien yelled. Mara was brave. But after a while of abuse from his gauntleted hand, her face was bloodied, dripping.

"You afraid yet, little cowgirl?"

She shook her head, and spat blood at him.

"Enough of this." He aimed the gun right between her eyes.

A bright flash filled the room. Mara's ears were ringing.

The Darkness holding them back let go as the man's powers addressed the squad of Vanguard Commando Titans who stormed through the elevator doors and fired at the hordes of Taken. She sat there, dazed, as Haden joined the fight, and Bastien came over to pull her up, dragging her out of the crossfire.

Taken Shadows, dark beings that appeared to be corrupt versions of Hive thrall, poured into the room from the darkness, and the Guardian's weapon's flashed as they began to mow them down.

Haden and Bastien defended Mara as a Wizard came screeching into the room, tendrils of black smoke seeping from its grotesque body, as it fired energy bolts at them. They dodged to either side and Haden charged the Wizard. A long burst from his Suros Regime blasted away its shield. The Wizard screamed, and swiped razor sharp claws at him. He rolled to the side, meeting Bastien, and the two fired their weapons once more, unloading into the interdimensional alien. It wailed as the rounds tore through it, and it crumbled to ash, before fading completely.

While the Taken were formidable opponents, the combined might of the Titans, Haden, and Bastien fended off, and soon, the battle turned in their favor. The strange man snarled, taking several Titans down with his corrupt weapon before summoning the orb. A green sphere of energy appeared in the room and crackled with crimson electricity, and the man stepped through it. Just as he did, it vanished, and they were gone. The Titans secured the area, mopping up the last of the Taken. "We're all clear," One of them called out.

Bastien held Mara in his arms. She was breathing softly. "I-I'm alright, Bastien, I'm alright." She winced, trying to stand up with his help. She wobbled for a moment, but gained her footing. Her eyes noticed a small object where the stranger had stood.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

She took a deep breath and spat blood again. She grinned weakly. "I've been worse." She leaned over to pick the object up. No time to examine. She stuffed it in one of her packs.

"We need to get out of here. We've reports of more Taken to the area," a Titan said. They began placing charges across the entire vault.

"Woah, woah, woah, we're just gonna blow the place up?" Bastien asked.

The Titan nodded "Vanguard's orders. City got in touch, change of plans."

Haden had Ayla's body in his arms. "Rest now, girl. Rest." He sobbed as he closed her eyelids.

"Charges are set, sir!" one of the Titans said. "Good," the leader acknowledged.

Their Ghosts were hard at work downloading mountains of information for safekeeping and possible future use, before burying this place forever.

"Alright people, let's wrap it up! Charges will make sure this stuff can't be used again even if its unearthed, but we're overloading the power core to level the place. We've got ten minutes to get out of here. I would give us more time, but this is the maximum amount I can run the core in overdrive before it destabilizes."

"Did you get everything?" Bastien asked.

"Everything we could, it will be enough. Let's get going, move, move, move!"

With that, Mara picked up her helmet and put it on, and everyone made their way back towards the large, cylindrical platform, and once they were securely on board, it began to rise once more. An alarm began to blare, signaling the inevitable core overload, warning an evacuation.

Finally they made it back to the terminal room and they made their way up the corridor. More of the Taken portals, Blights, as they were called, appeared in the room and more of the interdimensional aliens poured in. There was automatic fire from auto and pulse rifles as the hordes began to be cut down. But there was no time to fight them all.

"Lay down suppressive fire, but let's keep it moving, people, go!"

The group ran up the hall, firing back wherever they could. Some of the Titans fell to the nimble Taken Shadows. There was no time to go back.

"Come on, don't look back, just keep going!"

A few more Shadows pulled ahead of the pack, swiping at Mara, who was just behind Bastien. Their claws, glowing red-hot with solar energy caught Mara in the back, and she wailed as they tore through her shields, armor, and seared her flesh.

"Mara!"

She tumbled onto the ground with gritted teeth, pulling The Last Word from its holster, and firing at the Shadows. They were put down, but the rest were catching up quick.

"Fuck!" Mara cried, the pain coursing through her nerves, blood oozing from the wound. Bastien had run back and helped her up. "C'mon, I ain't losing you here,"

The advancing aliens were met with fully automatic fire as they caught up with them. Further back, three Wizards came around the corner, lunging forward, hungry for their Light. Mara swallowed the pain back and ran as fast as she could, with Bastien laying back suppressive fire as they went.

Haden had had no choice to leave Ayla's body behind. He turned and yelled a battle cry as he summoned a surge of arc energy that coursed through his body. Bastien and Mara stopped for a moment.

"Haden, no, there's no time!" Bastien said.

"There's just enough. I'll hold em off," He turned ran full speed at the advancing Taken and leapt, slamming his fist into the ground. It sent a shockwave of arc lightning along the ground down the hall, obliterating a large chunk of Taken. He unslung his rifle once more and yelled obscenities at the incoming hordes as he fired his rifle wildly into their ranks. The Shadows swiped at him, clawing away. His tough, Titan armor took most of the attack, and he managed to fight off the group, punching them over and over with a storm fist. He began to fall back, catching up with the group. It was more than obvious now the best they could do was run.

"Just a little bit of payback," he panted as they ran faster. He pulled a pack of bio-gel from his pack and sealed the wound at his elbow. He had lost the rest of his arm.

Taken Shadows were advancing once more at an alarming speed.

Finally, they made it outside, and they primed several grenades, tossing them at the entrance. They scattered, and Mara, Bastien and Haden ran and dove behind the thick trunk of an ancient, dead tree as they detonated, blowing the entrance to the bunker away. It was built rather solid though, and the blast did little more than to hinder the Taken on their way out.

"We need to get farther, go!" Deacon called out, and faded. The Guardians all ran for the lake and waded across until it was deep enough, finally diving into the water as Taken stepped out from the rubble. An immense, dull rumble coursed through the canyon. It grew louder as the explosion deep underground blasted through the bunker, and caved it in, but not before an enormous chunk of canyon wall crumbled over and began to fall.

They swam faster, away from the disaster, as debris quickly fell, smashing the Taken, and rained around them into the water. A large chunk fell just beside them, sucking them under the waves. In the confusion, Bastien and Haden resurfaced, but Mara did not.

"No… No! Mara!" he yelled, diving back under the water. His vision adjusted to underwater conditions and he looked around. Finally he spotted her, sinking slowly to the bottom, a cloud of crimson trailing from her head. He swam as fast as he could, grabbing her and pulling her to the surface. "Don't die on me now, don't die on me…" He drug her through the water until they reached a small shore off to the side. He pulled off her helmet. The wound in the helmet was indicating a hard impact on her head.

"No.. no, no, no…" Bastien muttered. "Deacon! Deacon, get a scan for me!" He cursed under his metaphorical breath, wishing he had lungs and human lips to perform CPR. Deacon quickly emerged and began scanning. "Her heart is still beating, she is alive, there isn't much water at all present in her lungs. She's just out cold-"

Bastien was holding her frantically. "Deacon, is she going to be okay?"

Deacon shifted. "Yes Bastien, but we have to get medical attention fast. For now, seal up the wound on her head, she's losing the most blood there."

Suddenly, Mara, gasped awake, her eyes darting about. Bastien pulled gauze from his satchel and started bandaging her head, after sealing the wound with bio-gel. "There's my girl, you're alright Mara, just hang in there, c'mon…" She coughed, spitting water and wailed. "I-it… hurts …"

"We'll have to seal that up too, Bastien."

"I know," Bastien snapped, sitting Mara up and removing her gear as quickly as possible. The gashes hadn't cauterized, thanks to a secretion from the Shadows' claw tips that prevented such from happening. The heat tore through armor like butter, and the secretion prevented a wound from sealing up. Absurd. He quickly patched up the tears in her back with the rest of the bio-gel, and wrapped the remaining gauze around her tight. She winced, her breathing slowing. She was getting hot though, and she was sweating.

"Deacon, are the Taken taken-" he paused for a split second. He would have chuckled under different circumstances. "Are the Taken taken care of?"

"Yes, Bastien, scans report they are wiped out. The entire bunker is caved in and sealed."

"Good, call in the _Haven_ directly above us, we're transmatting her up." Bastien commanded.

"Right away, Bastien."

Around them, the Titans were tending to their own wounded and several jumpships appeared overhead, transmatting down supplies. The LZ was clear, and several more Titans appeared to make sure nothing more would happen.

The Haven, having not been too far off, quickly made its way to their position and hovered overhead. "We are locked for transmat, Bastien. Whenever you're ready."

Haden was hanging around. Bastien came over to him and gave him a tight hug. "Sorry about Ayla, brother."

Haden sighed, returning the embrace. "Me too."

"You gonna be alright?" Bastien asked.

The Titan shrugged. "Someday."

Bastien gripped his shoulder tightly. "You need anything, anything at all you give me a ring alright?"

Haden nodded. "I will. Get Mara back to the Tower, we'll catch up about this later."

"Stay alive pal," Bastien said, turning back towards the ship, carrying Mara in his arms.

Haden gave him a curt, casual salute.

"We're good, Deacon."

In a second, they were teleported onto the ship. Bastien strapped Mara into the co-pilot chair, and pulled them up into the sky.

"Don't worry, Bastien, she will be alright," The Ghost said.

Bastien sighed looking over to her. She hung her head a bit, slurring something.

"Shh, don't talk, just get some rest."

She nodded slightly and gave him a weak thumbs-up.

He'd never been more worried about anything in his life.

* * *

A large civilian transport rocketed overhead, fading into the distance behind the mountain range visible from the Hall of Guardians' windows. Bastien looked out, as behind him the Vanguard, Zavala, Ikora Rey, and Cayde-6 were arguing.

"Someone dropped the ball on intel this time, and we lost a ton of good men out there today for no reason." Cayde said.

Zavala grimaced. He was an Awoken Titan, one of the City's best and most powerful Titans. "We were not expecting such heavy Taken resistance. Scouts and reports showed minimal activity in the canyon."

Ikora, the Vanguard Warlock, nodded. "That's right. And with the Taken War coming to a close, such a force was far from expected."

Bastien turned to them. "With all due respect," he said, stepping down the stairs and joining them at the large table. "It doesn't matter now who dropped the ball. We need to figure out what we're dealing with."

Cayde brought up a holographic display showing the report of the mission. They looked carefully through it, reviewing everything that transpired. "So," he started. "From what we can gather found in the bunker's records, they'd studied that orb for a good while. Its more than a teleportation device, it can be used to open channels to other dimensions. Specifically, one dimension. The one these Taken were ripped into by Oryx."

They listened carefully.

"Thing is, it's highly unstable, and our scientists could do little to use or control it. They've figured only those devoid of Light and still alive can wield it."

"How is that possible? Even a civilian requires a spark of light to live. It is the universe's life-force, as we understand it so far." Ikora commented.

"Hive corruption," Zavala said. "Their dark magic is capable of keeping them alive without the Light. You'd have to become one of them, essentially."

Cayde nodded. "That's right." He sighed and paced. "He was talking about Toland the Shattered. He might've simply heard the stories, but I've got a feeling he may have known Toland personally in some form another. Ain't that right, Bastien?"

Bastien nodded. "The way he spoke bout him, almost tongue-in-cheek. Like he was reminiscning."

"Yeah," Cayde continued. "So this orb the guy took as far as we can tell can grant a user power similar to that of Oryx himself. They could control and summon their own Taken."

"Then our top priority is to hunt down this stranger and put an end to him," Zavala replied.

"Do we have any information on him? His identity?" Ikora asked. The reports didn't say much about him. All in all, there wasn't much to go on to begin with. "Bastien, you were there. Did you see anything? Did he say anything that might help us learn more about him?"

Bastien crossed his arms. "No, not a whole lot. Nothing more that isn't in the report."

He remembered the way the man spoke. And his gun.

He nodded at Cayde and made his way out of the hall. "But I may know how to start looking. I'll keep you posted."

* * *

"Morning, sunshine."

Mara turned to him smiling gently and nodding. "Morning to you, Bastien."

The soft, morning glow crept through the window of the medical wing of the Tower. It was quiet, and generally empty, as many Guardians accustomed to taking a bullet and a revive whenever something went wrong with their bodies, then waste time in the hospital.

Mara was in bed, buried under a thick blanket, with medical gear nearby monitoring her status. Everything checked out, and she was expected to make a full recovery. Though, the doc had suggested she see the Tower 'specialist' Eris Morn for any advice on the nature of the wound.

"You cold?" He took a seat in the chair next to her bed.

"Yeah, a little bit. It's always cold in here," she said quietly, holding out her hand. Bastien took it in both of his, giving her a small squeeze.

"Shit, Mara, I thought I lost you back there for a moment."

She smiled weakly. "Ah come on, ain't the first time I've ended up here, right?"

Bastien chuckled softly. "Well, no, but it is the first time I see you sinking to the bottom of the lake with a cloud of blood in your wake."

Mara licked her dry lips, reaching over with her free hand to take a sip from a small, boxed apple juice. "Yeah. But here I am, huh? Just couldn't let me go."

"Never," Bastien grinned.

"You know, I always miss this place." Mara sighed.

Bastien cocked his head.

She bit her lip. "Yeah, just being here. Away from everything; the fighting. Rahool..."

Bastien chuckled.

"It's nice here, you know, despite the head injuries, broken bones, et cetera."

Bastien felt the same, but tended to keep such opinions to himself, though he felt a little different about it. After all, he'd never been in such a situation with someone he truly cared for. Every day he spent with Mara, he had strange feelings creep into him. Things he hadn't felt before. A mysterious tugging where his heart should have been. But that didn't make any sense physically, did it? And for the first time, in a long time, he feared for his next, inevitable wipe.

"Yeah it is," he agreed. "We can always come back. It can be our special place." He added, with a joking tone.

He was her savior, her mentor, and her friend. Also an Exo, and that was probably the strangest part about it. But she had connected with him like no one else had. He'd opened up to her and shown her a more human side of him than he generally allowed anyone to see. And that gave way to the more romantic nuances, which he was unsure if he was expressing correctly.

He gave the equivalent of a human sigh and hung his head for a moment, before turning to give her a look. She didn't notice for a second, until she turned to him with a serious expression. Then she slowly smiled.

"Wh-what?"

"Nothing, it's just, I don't think for all the time, short as it may be, that I've known you I've told you that I think you're beautiful."

Mara laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, disappointed. "What would the robot know about that?"

She shook her head. "No, no. Sorry. It's not like that. Just…" She was looking for the words. Bastien stared at her, anxious for her reply. Finally after what felt like ten years, Mara just quickly pulled him in with a tug on his hand, and left a small kiss on his metallic lips. Afterwards, they sat in silence. He felt awkward. She wasn't sure how she felt about it now, but it felt right at the moment. She smiled at him nervously.

There was no need for words, he thought to himself. That kiss meant more to him than any words could anyway.

* * *

_On those cloudy days the air reeked of wet concrete and pine needles, and it stung the delicate flesh of her cheeks, and the tip of her nose. The days were long, dark, and frigid, though you couldn't quite blame that entirely on the weather. The darkness cast by the clouds, was not merely the offspring of the sky._

_The birds had stopped singing weeks ago. Marine life washed up on shore. A ravenous desperation plagued the earth, and no amount of food could sate it._

_She looked at her hands, freed from her gloves. Dirty, scarred, broken. Dried blood caked the miniscule crevices of her skin; The blood of her brothers and sisters. They turned against her by a God she once worshiped. She had torn the cross from around her neck, the chain leaving a scar behind it. This was an affront, and the God punished her for it._

_But on these cloudy days, there wasn't much left. Save for the occasional shambling memory of life now lost to time itself, and the lack of an emotional response from the pull of a trigger. There was nothing but the quiet of a world from the past, and the cool, tiny drops of water from the heavens. There was a thirst for cool water. Her dried, cracked lips begged for it. That would be the end of it, she thought, as she laid back against the side of the ruined car. This was the end. And for a moment, the tiniest speck of sunlight cut through a gap in those ominous clouds, and she laughed._

_She cursed the sky as her breath gave out._

As if the clutches of sleep were crushing her lungs for the whole night, the breath was relieving. Her eyes were sore and she looked up at the metallic ceiling. Her mouth was dry, and her tongue felt a bit awkward in her mouth.

It'd been over a week since the last mission, and she'd spent most of it in the med bay under careful watch. Given her lack of a Ghost, and being such a proficient Guardian, the doctors weren't taking any chances on losing her. Now, she had been released, and advised to take another week to rest up before going on any more assignments.

She rolled over to face Bastien, who was sleeping on the couch across the room. Though hibernating was probably a more proper term for it. "Bastien?"

Bastien turned over to face her evidently not as asleep as she thought he was. "Can't sleep?"

It was two in the morning.

Mara shrugged. "Yeah. Weird dreams. The usual."

"Well don't worry. You're safe."

She sighed and remained there quietly for several minutes. They didn't say anything, until Mara broke the silence once more.

"Bastien?"

"Yeah?"

She leaned up on her elbow for a moment. "You've been acting a little strange the last week. Everything ok?"

Bastien sighed. "Honestly, couldn't be better. You're alive."

"Right, I am alive," she said. "So what's _really_ bothering you?"

Bastien sighed. "I just can't stop thinking about the kiss you gave me."

She frowned. "Should I not have?"

Bastien sat up, his back to the headboard. "No, no. That's not what I'm saying. Not completely."

She looked at him, wondering what he meant.

"It's just. Look, I've been thinking. I'm an Exo. I'm… a machine." He muttered.

She stared at him.

"I might as well be your toaster, if only a little more helpful. The kiss you gave me. It's been killing me inside,"

She sat up, saying nothing.

"Because I'm not… real. You deserve so much better than this, Mara."

Still, she said nothing.

"And what about your body? You are organic, I am not. Your body has… needs. How could I satisfy that? And, if you wanted children someday, how could I provide you that? How could I live with myself knowing you've been denied these things because of me?"

Mara sighed and hung her head for a moment. "Look around you, Bastien. Look at our world. I can't bring children into it as it stands. I wouldn't have the heart to."

"It's just…"

"We're not civilians, Bastien. We wouldn't really have those luxuries anyway."

He nodded reluctantly, looking away. "I suppose you're right." There was a long pause. A long silence. "Not only that, though."

"What else?"

Bastien sighed and rubbed his palm along the back of his neck. "Well, here's the thing. You remember I sorta started telling you about the wipes?"

Mara felt that shudder in the pit of her stomach again. "Yes."

"The number, 9, is how many times that's been done to me. How many times everything I've ever known, and learned, and loved, if possible, has been erased forever. And if I've been so reluctant- so afraid of getting us attached like this. Getting attatched to anyone or anything, really. That's part of the reason. What if my mind is corrupted? What if my next wipe is right around the corner? I don't want to leave you alone in this world. And most of all, I don't want to forget you. I can't. Not anymore."

Mara shook her head. "Then be there for me now. Don't give up on me. Maybe we can find a way to keep it from happening."

He was silent.

"Worst case? We'll take a video or two. I'll remind you who you are, and who I am. Simple enough."

He simply nodded, and turned back onto his side on the couch, his back to her. "Thank you, Mara."

She slipped out of the bed and came over to lay behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and fell silent for about ten minutes or so. Bastien sighed peacefully as she started to snore lightly. He would have never dreamed of sharing moments like these with anyone. Not even another Exo.

Bastien had been having strange dreams as of late. Dreams where those he cared about would die. Dreams that seemed like memories he'd never lived. He often found himself wondering if they were traces of his past lives, old data left over from a previous cycle. That alone gave him a glimmer of hope, at least.

A small hope that even if worst came to worst, maybe, just maybe, a part of him would never forget her.


	7. Mess is Mine

**Mess Is Mine**

_TYPE: Transcript._  
_DESCRIPTION: Conversation._  
_PARTIES: Two [2]. One [1] Ghost-type, designate [REDACTED] [u.1], One [1] Guardian-type, Class [REDACTED] [u.2]_  
_ASSOCIATIONS: [REDACTED]; Breaklands; Durga; Last Word; Malphur, Shin; North Channel; Palamon; Thorn; Velor; Ward, Jaren; WoS; Yor, Dredgen;_  
_/AUDIO UNAVAILABLE/_  
_/TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS.../_

_[u.1:0.1] You were not always this man._  
_[u.2:0.1] True._  
_[u.1:0.2] Then the math says you do not need to remain this man. You can be other._  
_[u.2:0.2] I am other._  
_[u.1:0.3] You can be better._  
_[u.2:0.3] This is better._  
_[u.1:0.4] That matter, at best, is subjective._  
_[u.2:0.4] Then what? Lesser._  
_[u.1:0.5] Some would say._  
_[u.2:0.5] But what would you say?_  
_[silence]_  
_[u.2:0.6] All we've seen and now, here with me, you have no words._  
_[u.1:0.6] I have words._  
_[u.2:0.7] But...?_  
_[u.1:0.7] But you will not like them._  
_[u.2:0.8] There is much I do not like._  
_[u.1:0.8] More now than ever it would seem._  
_[u.2:0.9] Heh._  
_[u.1:0.9] I find no laughing matter in your path._  
_[u.2:1.0] Only in the journey._  
_[u.1:1.0] What brought you here was nobility._  
_[u.2:1.1] And my prize._  
_[u.1:1.1] That is no prize._  
_[u.2:1.2] A curse then?_  
_[u.1:1.2] I would say._  
_[u.2:1.3] And I would disagree._  
_[u.1:1.3] You are no longer yourself._  
_[u.2:1.4] I am myself. It's who I was that's gone._  
_[u.1:1.4] Who you were held all the value._  
_[u.2:1.5] To you._  
_[u.1:1.5] To the Light._  
_[u.2:1.6] The Light..._  
_[u.1:1.6] It is all._  
_[u.2:1.7] It is nothing but a crutch._  
_[u.1:1.7] One that has held you up._  
_[u.2:1.8] Only just. And nothing more._  
_[u.1:1.8] Nothing more? You were a hero._  
_[u.2:1.9] And yet people still die. Corruption still exists. Light still fades. And Darkness still spreads._  
_[u.1:1.9] As it will ever be, that doesn't mean you give in to..._  
_[u.2:2.0] To what? Hope._  
_[u.1:2.0] This is not hope._  
_[u.2:2.1] This is peace._  
_[u.1:2.1] You have blood on your hands._  
_[u.2:2.2] How's that any different than prior?_  
_[u.1:2.2] Innocent blood._  
_[u.2:2.3] Matter of perspective._  
_[u.1:2.3] That's the shadow talking._  
_[u.2:2.4] And am I not._  
_[u.1:2.4] The shadow?_  
_[u.2:2.5] Ya know... These past cycles, you've made an honorable effort. Tried your best to correct my course. But I don't know it needs correcting._  
_[u.1:2.5] And if it does?_  
_[u.2:2.6] Could be too late._  
_[u.1:2.6] 'Could be' is a winding path._  
_[u.2:2.7] Long way from where I was to where I'm going._  
_[u.1:2.7] That is my hope. That there is still time._  
_[u.2:2.8] For?_  
_[u.1:2.8] Corrective measures. The righting of our path. The cleansing of your shadow and a return to the Light._  
_[silence]_  
_[u.2:2.9] Why'd you pick me?_  
_[u.1:2.9] It doesn't work that way._  
_[u.2:3.0] Was I special?_  
_[u.1:3.0] You were._  
_[u.2:3.1] But only as special as any other._  
_[u.1:3.1] You are all special._  
_[u.2:3.2] Seems to contradict the word don't it._  
_[u.1:3.2] Not in my estimation._  
_[u.2:3.3] If we're all special, are any of us special?_  
_[u.1:3.3] Is that what you want? To be special?_  
_[u.2:3.4] Heh._  
_[u.1:3.4] You dismiss, but it's a very serious question. Is that all you're after? Is all of the death worth that badge?_  
_[u.2:3.5] Am I not already more than the rest?_  
_[u.1:3.5] Looking at you here, now. The smoke, ash and bone at your feet mark you as so much less._  
_[u.2:3.6] Maybe. And yet here you are._  
_[u.1:3.6] Meaning?_  
_[u.2:3.7] You have been at my side every step of the way._  
_[u.1:3.7] Where else would I be?_  
_[u.2:3.8] Yet you disagree so thoroughly with my change in perspective._  
_[u.1:3.8] If only the change was simply one of perspective. Your "evolution" was no choice. This is not you having come to an understanding after careful considered thought. This is corruption._  
_[u.2:3.9] The shadows?_  
_[u.1:3.9] The Darkness._  
_[u.2:4.0] Maybe so._  
_[u.1:4.0] There is no maybe here._  
_[u.2:4.1] And you think you can save me?_  
_[u.1:4.1] I rekindled your Light, it falls first to me to aid in its survival._  
_[silence]_  
_[u.2:4.2] I tire of it._  
_[u.1:4.2] You must try..._  
_[u.2:4.3] I tire of you._  
_[u.1:4.3] [REDACTED]..._  
_[u.2:4.4] That is no longer my name._  
_[u.1:4.4] I will not speak the other._  
_[u.2:4.5] It doesn't matter. This is where we part ways._  
_[u.1:4.5] I will not leave you._  
_[u.2:4.6] I am leaving you._  
_[u.1:4.6] Without me, your journey ahead will be more than any one Guardian can handle._  
_[u.2:4.7] That's the point. It's been sometime since you saw me as worthy of walking among those I once called brother and sister. Yet... anymore, I feel as though I am worthy of so much more._  
_[u.1:4.7] Without me... You will die._  
_[u.2:4.8] Someday. Won't be the first time._  
_[silence]_  
_[u.2:4.9] Consider this my last good deed. I am releasing you of the burden of my deeds, both done and yet to come._  
_[u.1:4.8] I will not abandon you._  
_[u.2:5.0] You will. Or I will carve the Light from your shell and leave the carcass of my first and last friend in the dirt of this dull, red world for no one to find._  
_[u.1:4.9] Then I've failed you, completely._  
_[u.2:5.1] Not me. Maybe the man I was._  
_[u.1:5.0] He is truly dead._  
_[u.2:5.2] I believe so._  
_[u.1:5.1] Belief is not fact._  
_[u.2:5.3] Semantics I no longer have the patience for._  
_[silence]_  
_[u.2:5.4] When you speak of me, use my proper name. Tell them of the man that stands before you, not the ghost of the hero I once was._  
_[u.1:5.2] You will always be [REDACTED] to me._  
_[u.2:5.5] If you cannot let that man go, you will forever taint his legacy. All the good I have ever done will be washed away in the fire of who I have become._  
_[u.1:5.3] If you care, there is still some promise within you._  
_[u.2:5.6] If I am being honest, I care only to give hope to the frightened, huddled masses so that when I come upon them they will have more to lose. Their pain will be greater. Their screams more pure._  
_[u.1:5.4] You..._  
_[u.2:5.7] Nothing dies like hope. I cherish it._  
_[u.1:5.5] You're a monster._  
_[u.2:5.8] Finally, you see the truth._  
_[u.1:5.6] [REDACTED] is truly dead._  
_[u.2:5.9] So I've said. Long live Dredgen Yor._  
_[u.1:5.7] This is farewell, but you can only run from your sins so far. In the end, you will die alone._  
_[u.2:6.0] Maybe so. But I gotta tell ya... I tend to like my odds._  
_[u.1:5.8] Your tainted "Rose" will not always save you._  
_[u.2:6.1] Old friend... It already has._

Bastien sighed and ran a hand over his head. He blinked in the silent, dark of the Tower Archives; dark, save for the dim lights that came on during the late hours, and the electric-blue glow of the holopanel washing over his face. There were stacks of old books and documents littering the desk he sat at. A few Warlocks that had been hanging around gave him funny looks till they left. It was a rare sight to see a Hunter spend so much time in there. But it was late, and now it was just him. Just him, and a lone janitorial Frame tending to the place.

He wasn't looking up historical facts they taught in schools. He was looking up old legends whose only true confirmation had been by word of mouth, which had been all but forgotten by most. Bastien wasn't sure he even trusted the serial number on Mara's handcannon. After all, "Ward" came up many times as far back as Bastien dug through records. Many lives, different people. Was any of this even true? Maybe. He'd been obsessed with this particular legend as far back as he could remember. All because the handcannon had always been with him.

He couldn't remember when or how he came across it. There was none other like it, save for some recent, custom most models commissioned by fanatics of the legend. This must have been a custom order as well. He spent years digging up its past. Or at least, the little he could find of it. He'd even dug through Tex Mechanica's archives. The number matched their numbering algorithm, but private, custom order information had never stored. At least, not in old, public records; and he wasn't about to storm their headquarters to dig through their systems, as tempting as the thought was.

These were nothing but stories.

Bastien entered new queries and browsed for what felt like ages. Finally, buried even deeper into the system, he came across something a bit closer to what he was after.

"Source: Unknown. Figures."

He tapped on the panel, and the entry appeared before him.

_Then._

_Palamon was ash._

_I was only a boy – my face caked in soot, snot and sorrow._

_I'd assumed Jaren, my friend, our Guardian, the savior of Palamon, would always protect us – could always save us..._

_But I was a fool._

_Jaren, and the others, only a handful, but still our best hunters, our hardest hearts, had left three suns prior. Tracking Fallen, after the bandits had caused a stir._

_The stranger – the other – arrived the following day._

_He rarely spoke. Took a room. Took our hospitality._

_I was intrigued by him, as I was Jaren when he'd first arrived._

_But the stranger was cold. Distant. Damaged, I thought._

_But I wasn't afraid. Not yet._

_Only a child, I knew the monsters of our world to walk like men, but they were not. They were something alien. Four-armed and savage._

_The stranger was polite, but solemn._

_I took him for a sad, broken man, and he was. Though, at the time, I didn't understand how that could make one dangerous._

_As with Jaren, father made an effort to keep me away from the stranger._

_It wouldn't matter._

_As the silhouette approached, fear held tight._

_The dark figure towered over me. Looking into me – through me._

_He smiled. My knees weak. All lost._

_Then, he turned and walked away._

_Leaving ruin and a heartbroken, terrified boy in his wake without a second glance._

_I've been chasing that stranger's shadow ever since._

_Now._

_We stood silent, the sun high._

_Seconds passed, feeling more like hours._

_He looked different._

_He seemed, now, to be weightless – effortless in an existence that would crush a man burdened by conscience._

_My gaze remained locked as I felt a heat rising inside of me._

_The other spoke..._

_"Been awhile."_

_I gave no reply._

_"The gunslinger's sword... his cannon. That was a gift."_

_My silence held as my thumb caressed the perfectly worn hammer at my hip._

_"An offering from me... to you."_

_The heat grew. Centered in my chest._

_I felt like a coward the day Jaren Ward died and for many cycles after._

_But here, I felt only the fire of my Light._

_The other probed..._

_"Nothing to say?"_

_He let the words hang._

_"I've been waiting for you. For this day."_

_His attempt at conversation felt mundane when judged against all that had come before._

_"Many times I thought you'd faltered. Given up..."_

_All I'd lost, all who'd suffered, flashed rapid through my mind, intercut with a dark silhouette walking toward a frightened, weak, coward of a boy._

_The fire burned in me._

_The other continued..._

_"But here you are. This is truly an end..."_

_As his tongue slipped between syllables my gun hand moved as if of its own will._

_Reflex and purpose merged with anger, clarity and an overwhelming need for just that... an end._

_In step with my motion, the fire within burst into focus – through my shoulder, down my arm – as my finger closed on the trigger of my third father's cannon._

_Two shots. Two bullets engulfed in an angry glow._

_The other fell._

_I walked to his corpse. He never raised his cursed Thorn – the jagged gun with the festering sickness._

_I looked down at the dead man who had caused so much death._

_My shooter still embraced by the dancing flames of my Light._

_A sadness came over me._

_I thought back to my earliest days. Of Palamon. Of Jaren._

_Leveling my cannon at the dead man's helm, I paid one final tribute to my mentor, my savior, my father and my friend..._

_"Yours... Not mine."_

_...as I closed my grip, allowing Jaren's cannon, now my own, to have the last, loud word._

So, he was dead after all. But his steel could be alive as ever, as Malphur's seemed to be. Another fanatic, but on the other end of the spectrum. Unless, of course, Yor was not dead. But would that be possible? Would his Ghost have returned to him in the end? And what would be his motivation? He wished there were more people he would talk to. Places he could find more information. But these days, folks weren't interested in old legends anymore. There was too much going on to worry about such things.

Bastien downloaded the file for later study. He sat there silently for a long while. Something was different.

The equivalent of a human headache for en Exo ravaged his mind and he waved off the holopanel, cursing under his breath. He'd get to the bottom of this one way or another. Maybe another day.

He had initially considered suggesting his suspicions to the Vanguard, but they'd attributed the horrible abilities of the stranger to the orb. Wasn't a time for sensationalist claims. No matter. Not at this very moment. He stood, grabbing the stacks of books and setting them on one of the carts. Let the floofers figure it out. He gathered his own things, stuffed them in his satchel and made his way out of the archive.

It was a cold night. There were no clouds out, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. The sky was as black as ever, save for the eerie glow of the City's light reflected on the damaged belly of the Traveler. Bastien came to the railing, leaning on it. Everything was so peaceful from here. Had you never stepped outside of these city walls, you'd never imagine the horrors beyond. Even if you'd heard of them.

Must be nice.

He lit a cigarette and placed it between his lips. Strange, despite the habit, he realized he never really found himself wondering what it tasted like. What it smelled like. He'd heard it wasn't exactly pleasant, but at that very moment, he sort of longed for it. That calming "nicotine buzz." Somehow, he'd never devoted a moments time to think about this singular thing. And certainly not to do something about it.

"Deacon?"

The little Ghost appeared. "Yes, Bastien?"

The Exo reached into his pocket and pulled out his trip chip. "Think you can program this for nicotine?"

The Ghost bobbed enthusiastically, and beams of blue light illuminated them both for a moment.

"One moment. Nicotine? Hmm. Interesting. Parasympathomimetic alkaloid. Stimulant. Carbon. Hydrogen. Nitrogen…"

The chip flashed a tiny red light.

"Done," Deacon said, a tone pleased with his success. "Interestingly enough, I found this less challenging than converting the alcohol effect equation. Retrofitted it for nicotine. I didn't expect the effect to result as potent as the very cigarette you have right now, but there it is."

"Hm," Bastien hummed, impressed. Exo's 'immune systems' were incredibly proficient, and even less completely understood. While the Ghost could resurrect Bastien intact, along with his thoughts if he were to 'die,' the blueprints, if you will, were coded for an exact reconstruction, and the Ghost couldn't change it or learn much more than that if it wanted. So he had said, anyway.

Bastien used the chip and waited. In moments a feeling washed over him, and he closed his eyes. He sighed in a sort of relief he'd never quite felt before. That was followed by a bit of dizziness. But it wasn't all bad.

"I hope you know that the only reason I did this for you is because you cannot die from its adverse effects. You also cannot become addicted. Not physically, at least. Perhaps habitually, though it seems like that's redundant to say."

The Exo smiled and tapped the ash from the tip of the cigarette. "You know me."

Deacon spun. "I _am_ your Ghost." It dissipated.

Bastien flicked the butt off the side of the Tower, watching it fall into the night fog.

_Littering ain't the biggest threat to our planet right now, is it?_

He made his way back to his quarters. It'd been a good while now, and Mara was back to good health, thanks to her own seemingly flawless metabolism and healing rate. Unfortunately, the beating the stranger gave her had left her a few scars. The thought made Bastien fiery to his core. He shook his head, wanting to push those thoughts away. What's done was done. Not that Mara wasn't plenty capable of protecting herself (in fact, there had been many times that she had saved his dumb ass from embarrassing situations), but he had sworn to himself he'd never let anything like that happen to her again anyway.

After the slow walk down, having taken the stairs, he finally reached his quarters. Sensors told him it was warm inside, but Mara wasn't there. He walked over to the bathroom, tapping on the door lightly. Nothing. He opened the door. Still, nothing. Where was she?

Walking back out, he looked at the note again, scrawled on a yellow sticky note, stuck to their refrigeration unit.

_Got some things I've gotta take care of._

_Everything's good._

_Sorry for the secrecy. I'll be back soon, and we'll talk._

_M _

She'd been gone for a couple days now.

He made his way over to the bed, sitting down on the edge. He stripped down and laid back, crossing his hands behind his back, staring up at the ceiling. It was quiet, save for the low, faint hum of the power conduit in the wall.

He didn't have any real leads on his own investigations, and they didn't exactly have any missions to go on at the moment. And even though the Iron Banner competition was around the corner, he hadn't the slightest interest in competing this time around. Not with everything that had been happening. Neither did Mara.

So he closed his eyes, and shut down for the night.

* * *

_"You think you're all high and mighty takin' up what ain't yours. You think you're so special cause you've got that there piece, don'tcha?"_

_ "Truth is you ain't half the man your old man was."_

_The boy let the cigarette fall from his mouth, his cloak fluttering softly in the dry wind- hand itching to curl his fingers around the grip of his iron._

_"Without a doubt. But if I'm even a quarter he was? More than enough to take care of the likes of you."_

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

Bastien stirred awake. These dreams… He shook his head. He hadn't had dreams like this since the last bit of legends he'd obsessed over. Charlemagne's Vault was-

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

He reached over to the nightstand and picked up his comm. "Geez, hey, sorry. Just waking up. What's going on?"

Haden sat at the bar, a beer in hand. He wasn't in the same old bar they frequented this time, no. He was at the _other_ old bar. The one down in the City that had been there as far back as anyone could remember. The one where he'd first met Ayla. She had knocked him on ass for being a rude drunkard.

"What? Right now?"

Bastien groaned and swung his legs off the bed, sitting up. "You're joking?"

"Nah, man. You okay?"

"Hell no, rough night last night," Bastien said as he got up and looked around. Mara was still gone. "Was up for a good while, doing research and the like."

"Sounds to me like you could use a beer."

"You know I can't drink."

"And you know what I mean. C'mon, get your ass over here and keep me company."

"Kinda far. Sure you'll have time for me?"

Haden nodded. "Yep, practically just got here. Just popped the cap on this here Jolly Roger's. Got some special trip chips waiting for ya, too. Though now that I think of it, I probably should've just took a detour on the aerocab."

Bastien chuckled. "No worries. Alright, Haden, I'm on my way."

Bastien dressed casually, as he usually did when venturing into the City; he threw on a gray shirt, a faded leather jacket, black pants, boots, and of course, his shiny, new Hakke Llefelys-D sidearm, holstered on his hip. Guardians weren't seen as often out there, and when they were, people stared in awe, and few here and there even in fear. Most of the children, though, were never afraid. They were Earth's mightiest heroes.

It wasn't a terribly long trip, maybe thirty minutes to take a shuttle down to the tram station, and board one to the heart of the City. The Exo stepped down onto the busy street. Downtown never slept, and there were crowds of people moving up and down, merchant stands, performers… the conglomerate of all these sounds thrown in with traffic and the rumbling of another tram passing overhead almost made him nauseous. The Tower was so much quieter.

He made his way through the crowd. Several civilians gave him strange looks, though most didn't seem to be able to tell he was a Guardian at that point. Finally he came to the glaring neon sign over the old fashioned swinging doors.

OLD AL'S SALOON

He sighed and made his way in. The place was somewhat packed, and much like the bar back in the tower, there were ancient signs, though here? Things looked a little more run down. Didn't seem to keep the customers away at all, though. And no, nobody had any memory of Al, save for a very old, framed picture of him that hung near the bar. Good old Al. Bastien stood near the entrance for a moment, looking for Haden. Haden swiveled on his stool, beer in hand, waving him over to the bar.

Bastien, for some reason, half expected the Titan to be wearing his bulky gear. Instead, he wore dark, faded jeans, the legs tucked into his boots, and a black, unzipped sweatshirt over a black shirt. The Exo came up to the bar, and the two had a quick, back-patting hug.

"Hey, B. How you doin'?"

Bastien took a seat next to him, and Haden slid a few trip chips down the counter to him.

"Little worse for wear. Trying to keep my head of the mission and failing."

Haden took a swig of his beer and set it down on the counter, licking his lips. "I hear ya," he nodded.

"You?"

Haden shook his head, looking down at the bartop, the old wood cracked and covered in etchings of names, profanity, you name it. "Been way better. Hanging in there." The Titan took another swig. "How's Mara?"

Bastien took one of the trip chips, and leaned over the counter, lighting a cigarette. "Good, good. Pretty swift recovery, though she's been grounded until they can make sure she's fully recovered. Which it seemed like she was just a week after, but they're not taking any chances on losing her. Ghost missing and all. Left sometime yesterday though, said she had to take care of some things."

Haden raised his eyebrows. "That's a little strange."

"Yeah, a bit. Though, I haven't tried calling her. We're Hunters. Y'know."

Haden nodded. "Well, be sure to give her a call anyway if a little too much time goes by."

"I will."

The Titan downed the rest of his beer, and waved over the bartender. "How 'bout another one of these?"

The bartender, Ronald, a slightly plump, grizzled man, nodded, grabbing the empty bottle and tossing it, "You got it, boss. Anything else?"

Haden scratched his chin. "A scotch? On the rocks, please." The bartender nodded, and went off to get his drinks.

"So," Bastien said, flicking the ash from his smoke. "What do you think you're gonna do now?"

The Bartender returned, popping the lid off the beer, and setting both drinks down on the bar.

"I don't know, B. Maybe find a new fireteam." He took a swig. "Hell, maybe just take a break altogether."

"This hit you much harder than I thought it would. Didn't know you two were that close."

"Yeah. Yeah, we kept it under wraps mostly. World didn't need to know. Vanguard sure as hell didn't need to know. And we weren't always. Mostly after that time on Luna is when things got more serious."

Bastien took a second trip chip.

"Man, she was beautiful. Smart. Smarter than me, that's for sure. Kept me sane. I never realized just how weak and stupid I could be; she was always thereto get me back on track." Haden sighed.

"You loved her?"

Haden chuckled, nodding slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I did." He chugged the rest of that beer and passed another trip chip to Bastien before taking the scotch glass. "Weird to hear, huh?"

"Maybe a little bit."

"Yeah. Well, good thing is her fight's over. She's in a better place now."

"A better place?"

"Yeah. I'd say she's with God now."

Bastien tilted his head. "You believe in those old fairy tales? _You?_" He straightened himself out. "Not that I mean anything by it, it's just…"

"No, I getcha. But, _you_ believe in the Traveler, don't you?"

"Well, sure, but seems that's a bit different."

"Is it?"

"It's right out there. You've seen it, we've all seen it. That ain't about believing, that's about seeing."

"It's _all _about believing."

"With all due respect, Haden, what are you talking about? The Light, our abilities, our Ghosts-"

"Doesn't matter." He replied, matter-of-factly.

Bastien rubbed the back of his neck. "God? Silent. Has been since way before the Collapse. Hell, it should never have happened if God existed. He wouldn't have let this happen to all of us."

Haden sipped his scotch. "And the Traveler? Silent. Immobile. It's really done nothing."

"It protects us. Gave us the very power we wield to defend our world."

"So does God, in a way. Don't you see? It's not all very different is it?"

"The Traveler gave us the Light, yeah. Gave us a second chance. Any man can pick up a gun and fight. But without drive, without purpose, he is nothing. He is a husk. He can be bartered with, bought. Corrupted. I've known you for a long time now B. I know you of all people want to know more what it's like to be a little less like a machine."

"I'm sorry Haden. You have a right to believe in whatever you wish. And I am sorry about Ayla. She was a good person. Better than most of us. I've just been… frustrated."

"Don't worry about it, B. I don't blame you. I get it."

"Thanks."

"Oh, and Bastien? Maybe God and the Traveler are one and the same. Maybe they always have been. In fact, I know the chances of what I believe being mere myth are overwhelmingly high. And maybe it doesn't matter in the end, but I do know one thing."

He downed the rest of his drink, and waved at the bartender for another.

"I'm gonna keep fighting. I won't give up. And neither should you."

* * *

"Get that out of my face!"

The sun hung almost directly overhead, and Mara smacked away the vendor's hand, the bag full of mushrooms plopping to the ground and spilling its contents. He scrambled to his knees, picking the merchandise up. She bit her lip from saying further as she hastily walked away through a crowd of people, finally losing the guy. She normally wasn't this aggressive, but this vendor had been trailing her for about a block, insistent on selling her these totally, completely, not-hallucinogenic-at-all-mushrooms. She'd kept her cool and politely declined several times. She had done her best to scuff up her outfit a bit. Some tears here, some stains there. A bit of dust. It still probably screamed she bathed in glimmer every evening as she walked through this part of the City. It was one of the oldest districts near the heart of the City, and every street was crammed with people and vendor stands. Vehicles flew overhead, and only rarely would you see a Guardian wandering the streets.

She wore simple denim pants, and a grey, slim henley. She had thrown her old Hunter cloak over her shoulders. It was a bit more tattered than her new one, but it helped her blend in just a little more. Her hair was tied back into a short ponytail, with a couple loose strands over her face, and she had The Last Word nestled safely into her cloak with a shoulder holster.

She swooped into a dark alley for a moment, pulling a small datapad from her pocket. With a few taps, a holographic display appeared before her, showing a topographical layout of the surrounding area. The only problem was that, despite the City's best efforts to mark and categorize every shop and vendor, the place was organic, fluid, always changing. Some shops weren't even listed at all, and were only known of by word of mouth. Much like the one Mara was on the hunt for today.

She looked down at her left hand, the charm dangling from her grip on a silver chain. It was a claw- or perhaps a tooth- from a creature she couldn't quite identify. Outwardly, there wasn't anything particularly special about it, but upon closer inspection, one would find the material to be sort of crystalline, just barely transparent, with a faint, green glow within. Whether it was actually an organic tooth or claw, she had no idea. She shoved it back into her pocket and made her way back out onto the bustling street.

It was then that her eyes met the old sign. Quite simply, the word antiques, stenciled in chipped, cracking white paint above a storefront with barred, glass windows and elegant, yet old and dusty, curtains. She approached, her hand in her pocket, fingers lightly grasped around the claw. A free hand rose to push the door open, and a gentle breeze of cool air washed over her as she stepped in with the chime of the small bell on the door handle. Inside, there was a man in rusty looking armor, arms crossed, standing near the back, with a sidearm on his hip. A guard, it seemed. Not that the place needed much guarding with the stuff that was in here. Old furniture, trinkets, appliances. Nothing that went far back enough to the Golden Age that she could see.

She nodded in greeting to the guard, who simply stared back at her. She raised her eyebrows for a brief second, turning her attention to the counter and leaning forward on it, tapping the little bell. She overheard footsteps from the back room, when the door on the wall behind the counter creaked open, and out stepped a middle aged woman with curls of dirty blonde hair, and the fiercest pair of eyes Mara had ever seen. She shot the woman a smile.

"Why, good- oh, what is it," she said, pulling the sleeve up of her loose, red dress, to look at an old, analog wrist watch, "ah, yes, afternoon. And how may I help the weary traveler today?"

Mara pulled the corners of her mouth down into a bit of a sarcastic frown. The woman chuckled. "Oh come now, you're not fooling anyone with that old Hunter's cloak," she smiled. "Although, I suppose I would be more knowledgeable than most about these things. So," she went on, her green eyes examining Mara carefully. "My name is Solana, welcome to Solana's Antique Emporium. And what can I do for you?"

Mara cleared her throat, with a quick glance over at the guard. "Yes," she hesitated. "Do you know anything about Dredgen Yor and Shin Malphur?"

The woman's gaze turned serious. After a moment, a smile came over her. "Ah, a scholar, are we?" Mara smirked. "More of a comic book collector, if you will," she replied.

Solana grinned. "Yes, well, in any case, it is always a pleasure to deal with the more educated sorts in these parts of town. Yes, I know the legends, though I am afraid if you are looking for anything pertaining to them, you would try another shop? Of course, don't let me stop you from browsing, my dear."

"Thank you," Mara replied, returning the smile. "Actually, I was hoping perhaps you could tell me more about them, so to speak."

Solana had a confused look on her. "I- Well, I suppose I could, though I assure you, I likely know just as much about it as you do, given the fact you've hunted down one of the oldest antique parlors in the City for information."

"I won't take much of your time, miss. Would you happen to know anything about Yor's handcannon?"

"My dear, these are merely legends, if Thorn was out there, someone would have found it by now, I'm sure," she replied.

"I'm not so much looking for it, as trying to learn about it. Do you think there is any validity to the claims- the weapon itself, being able to devour it's victim's light?"

Solana sighed. "I believe so yes, if the stories are true. They say it wasn't the weapon itself, but a part of it. An essence. The gun was infused with something so dark – so terrible. A piece of the Darkness itself."

"A piece? A component? Corporeal?" Mara asked.

"I do not know, but I might assume. Then again, Darkness and Light can be made into essence. Now, I may not be an expert, but I do know of some old method's, described in the works of Toland, the Shattered. I don't know the exact science of it, but one of his entries described a sort of talisman, or item that when exposed to the Darkness in a ritual, would come alive, hungering for light. Darkness, as we know, is the absence of Light-"

"I'm going on lunch," the guard called gruffly, heading out the door.

"Yes, dear, do be back on time now," Solana said. She turned back to Mara. "My apologies,"

Mara shook her head. "Not a problem; I'm learning a lot more than I expected."

The woman smiled. "Darkness, is the absence of light, and what does Darkness need to overcome light? The absence itself. These items were some of the most powerful tools of the Darkness, and they had the ability to consume light from its most powerful incarnation - Guardians. There are only seven mentions of them across known texts, though I suspect it could be possible one of them may have been used in the creation of Dredgen's Thorn."

"I see," Mara said, her eyes trailing across the counter, her tongue in her cheek for a moment. She trembled slightly. "I think that's all I really needed to know then, Solana, I do appreciate the help." She nodded and started to turn for the door.

"Oh, darling, if I may before you go, is there any particular reason you're so interested in this?"

Mara shrugged, a half-smile on her lips. "Call me a lore buff," and turned once more.

"Of course," Solana said, walking around the counter, her hands clasped lightly together.

There was the click of a safety, as Solana held a handcannon, produced from the inner side of the counter and held it to Mara's back.

Mara froze.

Solana approached Mara carefully. "Did you really think this would go unnoticed? Thre will be consequences. There always is."

"Who are you?" Mara asked quietly, unmoving.

"I told you, my name is Solana. The crystal. Give it to me, and you can walk away."

"Unlikely. You could have shot me by now and taken it just as easily. Why haven't you?"

Solana trembled. "Well. He still needs you. But the crystal is a priority."

"He? Who is 'he'? And for what?" Mara said, having turned her head enough to be looking right at her.

"You already know who he is. He's always watching. There's no escape. Give me the crystal, and you walk. It will only bring you pain."

"That's not going to happen."

Solana actually pulled back the hammer on her gun this time.

"Give it. I will kill you."

Mara moved her eyes towards the back of the room. Once. Then twice. It worked. The slightest of a turn of Solana's head to look behind her was all Mara needed, and she ducked, sweeping a leg out, swiftly kicking the handcannon from the woman's grip. In one fluid motion, she rose to draw The Last Word, but Solana was quicker than Mara had expected and grabbed her wrist, proceeding to headbutt Mara back. The gun fell to the ground. Solana dove for it, and Mara kicked it away, grabbing Solana by the back of her dress and pulling her, landing three punches to the woman's head, and tossing her over the counter with a growl.

At that moment, gunshots rang out, and the wooden door to the shop splintered as rounds tore through it. She dove for cover behind a row of large, old metal lockers, and the guard from earlier, followed by another man in armor made their way in, sidearms raised.

"We know you're here. Just give it up now and we'll let you go," one of them said.

"You hear that? We know you got no Ghost. We'll make this easy for ya."

Mara felt furious. She unsheathed her knife, and pushed the lockers. It crept forward and fell. With the distraction, as soon as the men had come into view, she leapt and threw her knife. It flew true and sank into the throat of the first one. She caught up with him, and pulled the knife, a stream of crimson spattering the floor. Shots rang out from the remaining man's gun, but Mara was already too close from an angle, and she buried the blade in the last man's side, twisting it slowly.

"And I know you don't have one either." She said, inches from the man's face, before pulling her knife back, and kicking him towards the wall. He groaned and clutched his side, starting to crawl towards the door. She followed.

"N-no, wait, p-please, I was only doing my job… Please…"

She leaned down and sank it into the man quickly another three times. He cried out, holding a shaking, bloodied hand. "P-Please!" he moaned, and Mara smacked away his hand, finishing him with a slice to his throat. Blood streaked her clothes. He toppled over. She was trembling. She quickly picked her gun up, and heard a laugh.

Solana had gotten back up, and had another gun. Mara aimed her's right back. They had both raised their weapons at the same time and hesitated.

"You really have no idea what's going on, do you?" She walked slowly, circling Mara.

"So why don't you just fill me in?" Mara grunted.

Solana laughed. It was a laugh concealing worry. A stiff laugh. "I can't do that. You want to save humanity, yes? Defeat the Darkness?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"Then give. Me. The. Crystal. There is no defeating the Darkness. We can only hold it back for so long. Darkness is eternal. Before the stars, before there was anything in the void – there was Darkness. So it was at the beginning of the universe, and so it shall be at its end. All that matters now is..."

She trailed off.

"One last time. Hand it over."

"No."

Solana began to squeeze the trigger. Before her gun could fire, a round tore through Solana's skull, and her body crumpled over. Another five rounds hit her lifeless body, and there were four more clicks of the hammer as Mara continued to pull the trigger, until she stopped. Smoke trailed from the barrel of The Last Word. Mara's face was blank, and she felt different. A power surged through her. Something new. Something dark. In a moment she realized, and pulled the claw from her pocket. It whispered to her and glowed brighter than before. The world around her was drowned by a low, deafening hum. She felt her ear drums pulse as tendrils of light rose from the bodies of the three men and the woman she'd killed, into her fist closed around the claw. And soon? It subsided. Her emotion rushed back, when she realized what she'd done. She fell to her knees, her chest heaving. A crowd had gathered outside. Men and women had horrified looks on their faces, and the talked amongst themselves.

_"Is she a guardian?"_

_"What happened?"_

_"Why would anyone do this?"_

_"She's a hunter…"_

She turned to look at them and stood slowly, backing away. A feeling of regret and shame washed over her, and she ran, tripping over Solana's body, and making her way into the back room. Through there, she exited through the back door into an alleyway, and she ran as fast as she could. Tears streamed down her face.

She was no stranger to death. No stranger to killing a man, or one of the invaders they'd all been fighting off. But this was new to her.

Murder was different.


End file.
